PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan on Monday said that there was no shortage of wheat or flour anywhere in the province and market situation remained fully under control.

Accompanied by special assistant to the chief minister on food Dr Mohammad Israr, Mr Jan told a news conference here that the province’s annual wheat requirement stood at 5.436 million metric tonnes, while local production in 2026 was recorded at 1.632 million metric tonnes, leaving an annual shortfall of 3.804 million metric tonnes.

He said that the deficit was traditionally met through purchases from other provinces, particularly Punjab.

The minister said that government food godown currently held 153,933 metric tonnes of wheat, while estimated wheat and flour stocks in the private sector stood at 114,806 metric tonnes.

He said that the provincial cabinet had approved the purchase of 175,000 metric tonnes of wheat from Passco, of which 25,000 metric tonnes had already been received.

“An agreement had been signed and advance payment made for the remaining 150,000 metric tonnes,” he said.

Mr Jan said that the cabinet had also approved the procurement of 225,000 metric tonnes of wheat from local farmers at a support price of Rs3,500 per 40 kilograms.

He said wheat and flour were available across the province, while monitoring of supplies and prices was being carried out daily on the directives of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to prevent artificial price hikes.

The minister said the chief minister had effectively presented Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s stance before the National Economic Council, raising concerns over National Finance Commission (NFC), Net Hydel Profit (NHP) and restrictions on the movement of wheat and flour.

He said that the Punjab government had imposed unnecessary restrictions on transportation of wheat and flour in violation of the spirit of Article 151 of the Constitution which guarantees freedom of inter-provincial trade.

Mr Jan warned that such measures could disrupt supplies to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, increase market pressure and lead to higher prices.

He said that the provincial government had approached constitutional and parliamentary forums to ensure uninterrupted supply of wheat and flour and had sent 15 letters to federal and Punjab governments on this issue.

The minister said that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had also engaged the governor and opposition parties to build consensus on the matter.

He said that the provincial government will ensure the uninterrupted availability of wheat and flour through continuous market monitoring, protection of strategic reserves and close coordination with all relevant institutions.

Mr Jan called upon the federal and Punjab governments to immediately remove all unnecessary restrictions and ensure the smooth interprovincial movement of wheat and flour.

He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had consistently faced discriminatory treatment under PML-N governments.

The minister alleged that the PML-N had repeatedly undermined public mandate and the rights of the people and that, having come to power through the “Form 47” process and that it had little understanding of the hardships faced by people.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2026