ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government is set to approve a new wheat policy ahead of the federal budget next month, Pakistani state media reported on Friday, as the government accelerates agricultural reforms to stabilize prices, reduce market distortions and boost productivity.
The Pakistani federal and provincial governments regularly adjust wheat and other such policies to determine procurement targets, set minimum prices, manage strategic reserves, and regulate inter-provincial movement to maintain food supplies.
During a National Assembly session on Friday, Parliamentary Secretary Farah Naz informed the lower house of parliament that the federation has prepared National Wheat Policy 2026-30 in consultation with the provinces.
“The policy will be approved by the cabinet before the budget,” she was quoted as saying by the Radio Pakistan broadcaster.
“The government’s action plan for the next fiscal year focuses on a comprehensive agricultural roadmap for mechanization and the establishment of the National Agri Trade and Food Safety Authority to boost exports.”
In April, the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA), which is mandated to oversee strategic measures for ensuring food security, was informed that Pakistan’s wheat production for 2025–26 was estimated to be 29.310 million metric tons, with the crop cultivated over 9.385 million hectares across key wheat-growing regions.
Pakistan has seen frequent protests by farmers, particularly in Punjab, over wheat procurement policies and low support prices in recent years, with growers arguing that rising costs of fertilizer, diesel and electricity had made wheat farming increasingly unprofitable, while market prices remained far below their demand.
In Oct. last year, Islamabad had set the wheat procurement price at Rs3,500 ($12) per maund under its Wheat Policy 2025-26. Authorities said the policy aimed to ensure fair prices for farmers and maintain stable reserves after floods in Pakistan’s breadbasket Punjab province destroyed 30 percent of the country’s wheat stocks.
