Wheat Imports in Pakistan Due to Depletion of Reserve Stocks

Karachi. Despite the International Monetary Fund (IMF) accepting its loan application, Pakistan's federal and provincial governments failed to procure adequate quantities of wheat from farmers during the harvest season or import sufficient amounts from abroad. Consequently, the strategic stock of this vital food grain has nearly been exhausted, creating an urgent need for large-scale imports.

Following a sharp decline in the domestic supply and availability of wheat and its value-added products, Pakistan's Minister for Food Security had announced on July 24, 2026, that wheat would be imported from the international market; it has now been stated that efforts will be made to meet the provinces' requirements by importing at least one million tonnes of wheat as soon as possible.

Additionally, a government agency—the Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation—has been directed to release wheat from its own stocks. There is an acute shortage of wheat in Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces, and an agreement has been reached with the federal government to purchase imported wheat.