Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that wheat was available in abundant quantities to meet domestic needs, while vowing no leniency for hoarders, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

PM Shehbaz chaired the first National Agricultural and Food Security Council (NAFSC) meeting in Islamabad today, according to a statement issued by the PMO.

Addressing the meeting, the prime minister said that wheat was available in abundant quantities to meet domestic needs.

“No leniency will be shown to those hoarding wheat,” PM Shehbaz was quoted as saying. “It is essential to determine the fair price of wheat before sowing so that farmers receive appropriate compensation for their labour.”

“We want farmers to get the fair price for wheat and for consumers to have affordable wheat,” he added.

The premier stated that the decision regarding the price of wheat would be made in consultation with the provinces.

“The consultation with the provinces will be completed soon, and the price of wheat will be announced shortly,” he said.

The prime minister further termed agriculture the “backbone of the national economy” and said it could set Pakistan’s economy on the path to growth in the short term, the PMO added.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Sindh Food Minister Makhdoom Mehboob uz Zaman, and relevant senior officials also participated in the meeting, according to the statement.

During the meeting, the prime minister commended CM Maryam for “taking commendable steps such as farmers’ development, aquaculture, shrimp farming, and providing direct subsidies to farmers through the Kisan Card”.

The Sindh chief minister was also “working day and night for the development of farmers and providing them with facilities”, PM Shehbaz said, according to the statement.

The prime minister noted that the livestock sector also had vast potential to increase national exports, noting that measures were being taken to boost exports of Pakistani halal meat.

He added that the federal government would “provide all kinds of support to the provinces for the development of agriculture”.

“Providing fertilisers, quality seeds, modern machinery, and equipment and technical capabilities for better water utilisation to farmers at low cost is the top priority,” the prime minister said.

He added that ensuring fair prices to farmers for their crops, particularly small and medium-scale farmers, was a priority as well.

The Punjab chief minister and Sindh food minister shed light on the measures taken by the provincial governments for the development of farmers in their provinces, the PMO said.

It added that the briefings were also given at the meeting on measures for the development of agriculture in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain, Dr Musadiq Malik, Jam Kamal Khan, Ahad Khan Cheema, Ahsan Iqbal, Attaullah Tarar, Khalid Hussain Magsi and Mian Moin Wattoo; and advisors Rana Sanaullah and Haroon Akhtar were among those who attended the meeting, according to the PMO.

In a meeting last week, National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain said the targets for Rabi crops would be finalised after the “announcement of an illustrative price for wheat”.

“We are conscious of the challenges faced by our farmers due to rising input, energy and transportation costs,” the minister said.

Last month, the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad demanded a Rs5,000 per 40kg support price for wheat, warning that farmers may not sow wheat for the next season if the government delays announcing crop policies.

The association had maintained that the farmers were unable to afford balanced fertiliser use because they were not recovering production costs.

In Sindh, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah approved the release of government wheat at the rate of Rs12,500 per 100kg bag from Oct 15 in order to stabilise flour prices and ensure its availability in the province.

Punjab CM calls emergency meeting

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Maryam called an emergency meeting in response to rising flour prices, expressing strong displeasure over the increase, according to a PML-N post on X.

“The chief minister directed that affordable flour and wheat must be provided to the public under all circumstances,” the post said.

It added that a decision was made to increase the government-subsidised wheat quota for flour mills.

A subsidy of Rs10 billion was approved to ensure the availability of affordable flour, the PML-N said.