Govt to consult provinces before setting wheat price: PM

According to Business Recorder, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the wheat price will be announced only after consulting the provinces. He wants the decision taken before sowing begins, so growers receive a fair return while the grain stays affordable for consumers. The remarks came at the first session of the National Agriculture and Food Security Council, which he chaired.

Sharif said enough wheat was available to meet national requirements and warned that anyone involved in hoarding would receive no concession. He called agriculture the backbone of the economy, with the capacity to steer short-term growth. He stressed fair prices for farmers, especially small and medium-sized growers, and pledged federal support to provinces for agricultural development.

Priorities discussed included affordable fertiliser, quality seeds, modern machinery and better water use through suitable equipment. Sharif also highlighted livestock exports, saying steps were being taken to expand sales of Pakistani halal meat abroad. He praised Punjab's aquaculture, shrimp farming and Kisan Card subsidies, and officials briefed the meeting on farm initiatives in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.