LAHORE: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research heard on Tuesday that the country would export two million tons of its surplus wheat stock this year.

“Two million tons of wheat will be exported, of which Punjab will export 1.5 million tons and Sindh 0.5 million tons of the commodity,” committee chairman MNA Malik Shakir Bashir Awan was quoted as saying at the meeting of the body at Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) office in Lahore.

At least 70 percent of the export consignments would be carried out through sea route and 30 percent via land, he said, adding the export task would be completed by June 30.

The meeting discussed the stock situation of wheat, the next crop outlook, and procurement of the new wheat crop.

Federal National Food Security and Research Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan said on the occasion that reduction in cost of production of different crops was of high importance for farmers.

He said that about 98 percent of the wheat sowing had been completed and sufficient wheat was available in stock as well.

Mr Bosan said if electricity loadshedding could be overcome in the country, the agriculture sector could also flourish as well and what needed was only special attention for the uplift of the sector.

The meeting was attended by MNAs retired Capt Muhammad Safdar, Chaudhry Iftikhar Nazir, Shahnaz Saleem, Kishwer Zehra and Parveen Masood Bhatti.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2018