Country importing wheat worth $2 billion annually: Tariq Cheema.

ISLAMABAD -- Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema on Friday said that now Pakistan is importing wheat worth $2 billion annually, at one time, Pakistan used to export wheat.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that this time 'we have to import 2.6 million tons of wheat from Russia, out of which we have received 1.3 million tons.

The minister said that after the decision of the review committee, the government has decided to import 2.6 million tons of wheat this year.

He said that the government had stored 1.8 tons of wheat in the Strategic Reserve last year, which will contain 1.5 million this year.

The minister said that there is no shortage of wheat/flour anywhere in the country, 'we have wheat in abundance and the provinces have also been asked to tell how much wheat they want.'

He said that provinces including Punjab are not releasing wheat; they are getting wheat as per requirement.

Tariq Cheema said that the shortage of wheat in the country and noise about prices is unnecessary and the government is ready to face all kinds of challenges.

He said that after the 18th amendment, agricultural commodities including wheat are the issue of provincial governments.

He said that all the provinces including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are getting quota wheat and there is no shortage of wheat anywhere in the country.

The minister said that when provincial governments released wheat from the provinces, the prices of flour in the country decreased.

He said that Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation Ltd (PASSCO) does the procurement of wheat and all the provinces also deal with it in terms of wheat.

Replying to a question, he said that efforts were being made to reduce the reliance on imported food commodities, and enhance the local output of food commodities, including that of wheat and oil seeds as edible oil imports swelled to $ 4.5...