The Sindh government Thursday decided to export the surplus wheat and also asked the federal government to extend its support through Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP).
The decision was made in a meeting held here to review the prevailing stock and market price of wheat.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah chaired the meeting at the Chief Minister House, said a statement.
The CM has constituted a three-member committee consisting of Sindh Minister for Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Minister for Health Jam Mehtab Dahar and Sindh Minister for Excise and Taxation Gianchand Esrani to work out and prepare an export mechanism within two to three days.
Addressing the meeting, the CM directed the authorities of food department to float the tender for exporting the wheat within three days to call competitive bids from wheat exporters.
He directed the officers strictly to stop the wheat movement from other provinces to Sindh province, and take strict action against the wheat hoarding and sale of sub-standard wheat in the market.
The CM was of the view that since the federal government had allowed for import of wheat without consultation with the Sindh government, especially when the Sindh government and even the Punjab government were possessing huge stock of indigenous produce of wheat, it should share the losses and extend its support for exporting the surplus wheat of the Sindh province.
The CM advised the mill owners to refrain from marketing the substandard flour and directed the authorities of food department to analyse the substandard imported wheat and to ascertain that up to what extent it was injurious to human health.
The CM said that growers were backbone of their economy and also main supporters of the PPP. He said the Sindh government was committed to protect the interests of the growers at any cost. He said the Sindh government had already paid Rs 4.6 billion subsidy on the procurement of wheat from the growers at the support price to protect the farmers from losses.
The meeting was informed that Sindh had wheat stock of 1.1 million tonnes out of which 4,00,000 tonnes were available at Karachi for immediate export.
Sindh Minister for Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Minister Health Jam Mehtab Dahar, Sindh Minister for Excise and Taxation Gianchand Esrani, Sindh Chief Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiana, Secretary to CM Alumdin Bullo, Secretary Food Saeed Awan, Secretary Finance Sohail Rajput and other officials concerned were also present in the meeting.
