ISLAMABAD: The caretaker government has claimed that 7.2 million metric tonnes of wheat stocks are currently available in the country, denying that there is any shortage of this commodity.
Presently, Punjab has 3.92 million metric tonnes stocks of wheat, Sindh has 817,394 million metric tonnes, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 215,082 metric tonnes and Balochistan has 89,354 metric tonnes of wheat stocks, caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi told the Senate on Monday.
He was responding to a motion moved by Dr Sania Nishtar from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regarding wheat shortage in the country.
Solangi said PASSCO (Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation Limited) has 1.71 metric tonnes of wheat. In private stocks, Punjab has over 337,000 metric tonnes, Sindh has 93,165 metric tonnes, KP has 14,918 metric tonnes and Balochistan has 4,157 metric tonnes of wheat, the caretaker minister said, adding that imported private wheat stocks in the country were counted at 1.03 million metric tonnes.
“There is substantial amount of wheat present in the country and no shortage at all,” Solangi said.
Earlier, PTI’s Nishtar pointed out different lacunas in wheat supply chain leading to shortage of wheat in the country.
Other senators including Abdul Ghafoor Haideri from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F), Rukhsana Zuberi from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PTI’s Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur shared their views on the motion, and expressed concern over wheat shortage in the country.
Winding up discussion on another motion, moved by JUI-F’s Kamran Murtaza, regarding the devaluation of the rupee and shortage of dollars in the market resulting in high inflation, Solangi said, the value of rupees has stabilised owing to the administrative measures of the incumbent caretaker government.
He said that the government controlled the informal channels/hundi trade in the country.
The caretaker minister expressed the hope that the value of the country’s currency would further improve after receiving a second tranche from the IMF (International Monetary Fund).
Apart from that, Leader of the House in Senate Ishaq Dar said, there are “mafias in the country that pose challenges—and tough conditions for the economy.”
Dar admitted that Pakistan’s had very limited foreign exchange reserves. “We are not the Bank of England, our forex reserves are very limited,” he told the upper house of Parliament.
The senator termed the devaluation of currency as “mother of all the economic evils,” arguing that a stable currency guarantees economic progress and prosperity in a country. The leader of the house claimed that Pakistan’s currency remained strong when he was at the helm.
Dar argued that the devaluation of currency resulted in increase in exports. He said the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) increases interest rate to deal with the inflation.
Meanwhile, the Senate passed a resolution to commemorate World Humani-tarian Day on August 19 in recognition of the “selfless efforts of humanitarian workers and organisations who strive to save and protect lives across the globe and to reduce human suffering.”
PTI’s Nishtar moved the resolution. The Senate noted with alarm that humanitarian workers worldwide continue to remain vulnerable to violence and attacks, with major attacks numbering 235 in 2022 alone, including one in Pakistan, undermining the safety and security of those dedicated to saving lives and delivering assistance.
The house called upon the government to enhance its support for humanitarian efforts, both within its borders and beyond, through diplomatic, financial, and logistical means, in partnership with other governments and multilateral organisations.
The house appreciated the humanitarian assistance extended to Pakistan by the global community during last year’s devastating floods. The Senate has been prorogued.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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