Sindh Orders Wheat Hoarding Crackdown After Procurement Shortfall

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered a province-wide crackdown on wheat hoarding after official figures showed that the provincial procurement campaign had fallen far short of its target. The decision was taken in Karachi during a high-level meeting of the food and agriculture departments as concerns grow over wheat reserves, flour prices and market manipulation.

The meeting was informed that Sindh’s food department had procured only 81,348.61 metric tons of wheat by June 12 against a target of one million metric tons for the 2025-26 crop. The scale of the shortfall has triggered alarm within the provincial administration because weak public procurement can leave the market vulnerable to private stockpiling and sudden price pressure.

To stabilise the situation, the chief minister directed authorities to immediately purchase 200,000 metric tons of wheat from the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation. He also instructed officials to examine the option of buying another 177,040 metric tons of locally available wheat while strengthening real-time monitoring of private stocks across the province.

Murad Ali Shah said the government would not allow consumers to be exposed to speculation or artificial shortages. According to the provincial government’s position, the administration intends to protect growers by ensuring the notified support price is respected, while also preventing unjustified increases in flour prices for households.

Officials briefed the meeting that the procurement drive had started on April 1 with a support price of Rs3,500 per 40 kilogrammes. A bardana payment of Rs60 per 50kg bag was also part of the arrangement, while 332,090 farmers had been declared eligible under the Sindh Wheat Growers Support Programme 2025.

The provincial administration has already surveyed private wheat stocks through district administrations and the food department. The exercise was launched after earlier directions from the chief minister and was aimed at assessing how much wheat was available outside government storage and where the largest private stocks were concentrated.

According to the survey, private wheat stocks across Sindh stood at 588,512 metric tons. Sukkur held the largest quantity at 219,760 metric tons, followed by Karachi with 159,577 metric tons and Larkana with 141,284 metric tons. Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas also reported smaller but important stock levels.

The chief minister also proposed storage limits for flour mills and stricter controls on private stockpiling. Such measures are likely to become central to the next phase of enforcement because unchecked storage can distort supply, encourage hoarding and increase the cost of flour, one of the most essential food items for ordinary families.

The issue carries direct economic and social importance for Sindh because wheat procurement affects farmers, millers, traders and consumers at the same time. If the government fails to build adequate reserves, urban households may face expensive flour, while farmers may remain exposed to delayed payments or weak market support.

The next steps will depend on how quickly the food department completes emergency purchases, identifies hoarded stocks and enforces monitoring without disrupting genuine trade. Provincial authorities are expected to move against illegal stockpiling while trying to secure wheat reserves before the procurement gap turns into a wider food-price crisis.