Sindh to ask Centre to complete wheat import process before Dec 15

A sub-committee within the Sindh cabinet, focusing on Food, recently examined a proposed tripartite agreement for wheat import and decided to urge the federal government to finalize the process before December 15. This discussion took place during a joint meeting chaired by Provincial Minister for Food and committee convener Makhdoom Mehboob-uz-Zaman, alongside Chief Secretary Sindh Asif Hyder Shah.

Attendees included Provincial Ministers Jam Khan Shoro, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Muhammad Bux Mahar, the Adviser to the Chief Minister Giyanchand Essrani, the food secretary, Chief Minister’s Inspection Team chairman, and other pertinent officers. According to a press release, the committee assessed various clauses of the agreement and discussed its administrative, financial, and operational elements.

The Food Minister informed the meeting that, adhering to the Sindh cabinet's decision, the provincial government would procure 300,000 tonnes of wheat. He stated that the government had already requested the Federal Ministry of National Food Security and Research concerning the wheat import. After thorough deliberations, the sub-committee resolved to present the proposed tripartite agreement, along with their recommendations, to the Sindh cabinet for review and approval.

While evaluating the procurement of wheat from Passco, the meeting determined that only wheat meeting the defined quality standards and suitable for consumption would be bought. Furthermore, it was decided that 100,000 metric tons of this wheat would be stored in Karachi, and 90,000 metric tons in Hyderabad. The meeting also reviewed the ongoing measures against wheat hoarding across the province and pledged to intensify this action.

The sub-committee affirmed that vigorous and indiscriminate action against wheat hoarding would persist throughout Sindh to discourage illicit storage and ensure effective execution of the government's decisions.