Key Points
- The initial wheat target could not be achieved despite the higher official support price
- Farmers had sought a higher wheat support price
- Concerns persist over food security and future import requirements
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has revised downward its wheat production expectations for the current year after adverse weather conditions disrupted crop yields across major farming regions, Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain told a Senate committee.
Addressing the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research, the minister said floods, heat waves and shifting climate patterns had affected wheat production, keeping the country from achieving its original target for the 2025-26 crop season.
Pakistan had earlier projected wheat production at around 29.7 million tonnes for the current Rabi season. However, officials now expect output to fall below that benchmark as climate-related disruptions affected sowing and crop development in several agricultural zones.
The minister informed lawmakers that farmer organisations had demanded a wheat support price of Rs 4,200 per maund. The federal government had already abolished the support price last year, and the Punjab provincial government has fixed a procurement price at Rs 3,900 per maund (40Kg).
Agriculture remains a critical pillar of Pakistan’s economy, with wheat serving as the country’s staple food crop and a major contributor to rural incomes and food security.
Any shortfall in domestic wheat production raises concerns about inflationary pressures and the possibility of costly imports amid Pakistan’s continued management of external financing constraints.
Climate volatility has increasingly complicated Pakistan’s agricultural planning in recent years.
Officials and analysts have warned that recurring floods, prolonged dry spells and extreme temperatures are reducing crop productivity and placing additional pressure on water resources and farm incomes.
The latest downward revision comes despite earlier official optimism that wheat output would meet or exceed targets after improved rainfall and government incentive programmes.
Pakistan has periodically relied on wheat imports to stabilise domestic supplies during years of weak harvests, although authorities continue to prioritise self-sufficiency in staple food production.
