RAWALPINDI, Aug 30: The Government will start releasing wheat from its own stocks next month in view of the continuous rise in its prices of wheat and those of wheat flour, Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind told Dawn here on Saturday.

After the concluding session of an international workshop on the impact of climate change on agriculture at the University of Arid Agriculture which he chaired, his attention was drawn to the persistent reports about the likely shortage of wheat in the closing of months of current wheat year.

The minister was reminded by this Correspondent that the year which had seen the infamous Bengal famine during 1940s was the year of bumper crop and that unless appropriate measures were taken, a serious supply situation might erupt in spite of ample stocks of wheat being present in government reservoirs as well as godowns of the private sector.

In Pakistan, claims of sufficient stocks of wheat notwithstanding, the wheat and wheat flour were becoming dearer with the passage of every week. There was apprehension that the private sector was hoarding wheat with the intention to cause artificial shortage and indulge in profiteering.

The government, the minister said, was keeping a close watch on the situation. He, however, pointed out that the private sector had spent Rs6.5 billion on the purchase of wheat. It was allowed to purchase it for prices ranging up to Rs320 per 40 kg in conformity with the policy to ensure adequate returns to the farmers.

The government would not, however, allow the price of the people’s staple food to go “too high”. In this connection, a meeting of the Wheat Disposal Committee in his ministry had been called on Sept 5 and a decision would be made to gradually release wheat from the government stores. Towards the end of the year, he was confident the country would be in a position to start exporting wheat.