ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Thursday raised concerns over major discrepancies between wheat flour price data collected by provincial authorities and the figures reported by the Bureau of Statistics. The issue was highlighted during the weekly national coordination meeting chaired by Secretary Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) Amir Mohyuddin.
As per details KP officials urged the federal government to establish a transparent and verifiable national wheat pricing mechanism, noting that conflicting price data was affecting market monitoring and consumer protection. The Secretary MNFSR assured KP that the ministry would take up the matter with BS to ensure uniform reporting across provinces.
Following KP’s concerns, the meeting reviewed provincial updates on wheat seed distribution, sowing, and storage planning for the 2024–25 season. Officials from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, KP, Chairman NSDRA and DG FSC&RD Muhammad Azam Khan attended the session.
All provinces reported accelerated sowing activity, aided by timely recession of floodwater, improved field access, and increased availability of certified seed.
Punjab, the largest wheat-producing province, has sown 12.5 million acres, achieving 75% of its 16.5 million-acre target. Officials expect the province to meet its full target within the next two weeks. A 100% surge in certified seed usage was reported this year, attributed to Rs500 per bag subsidy through the Punjab Seed Corporation and incentives for private-sector seed.
Sindh reported sowing on 533,000 hectares, with officials expecting to complete 85% of the target by end-November. The province is currently in its peak sowing window, supported by adequate certified seed availability and a positive farmer response to the indicative wheat support price.
KP has achieved 59% of its 781,000-hectare target, with sowing expected to accelerate in sugarcane and rice belt areas as temperatures remain favorable. Planting will continue until 15 December.
In Balochistan, sowing has reached 85,000 hectares out of a 643,000-hectare target. Progress is steady in tube-well irrigated and barani areas, while sowing in the canal-fed Nasirabad division is expected to pick up after rice harvesting.
Earlier, Punjab reported that all provincial wheat seed requirements had been met. A total of 364,000 metric tonnes of certified wheat seed — 168,000 MT from private suppliers and 196,000 MT from the Punjab Seed Corporation — was distributed across provinces. Allocations included 23,000 MT to Balochistan, 82,000 MT to Sindh and 22,000 MT to KP, with 41,000 MT retained in Punjab.
Daily convoy tracking confirmed uninterrupted interprovincial seed movement, a claim validated by FSC&RD.
Officials also noted that certain seed companies had filed a petition in the High Court challenging the existing seed movement SOPs. The federal government assured full legal support to defend the current framework.
MNFSR also confirmed that the ongoing national mapping of wheat storage facilities will continue next week to support future planning and ensure sufficient capacity ahead of the next harvest.
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