Pakistan expects to overcome a severe flour shortage in coming days by improving wheat supplies to mills, and may import another 500,000 tons of the grain for stocks if needed, a government food official said on Tuesday.
"We have approval of the government to buy another 500,000 ton wheat for stocks, if needed," said Seerat Asghar, a senior official at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Minfal).
On Tuesday, the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) extended to January 21, from January 16, the deadline for two tenders for 610,000 tons wheat import. Asghar said the situation would ease in the coming days after introduction of a monitoring system on supplies of wheat and flour.
Another ministry official said the government has sufficient wheat stocks and supplies to mills had been increased to more than 43,000 tons subsidised wheat a day, from 32,000 tons, from the stocks.
"The government has a stock of 1.8 million tons wheat while all of the wheat to be imported would reach Pakistan by the end of February," said Agriculture Development Commissioner Qadir Bux Baloch.
The government has begun using paramilitary troops to escort trucks carrying wheat following reports that supplies were being stolen by hoarders and smugglers on the way to flour mills.