The government’s policy on food security needs to be examined closely. After its failure to meet the targeted number in the just concluded procurement season, the federal government is pressing the Sindh government to release wheat from the official stock so that, what the federal officials say, to stabilise wheat flour price in the market to benefit the common man in the province. Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam, however, says the wheat production during the last Rabi season surpassed the official target. His assessment might be true but the fact is the official stocks do not corroborate the ground situation and that extra tonnes have been hoarded despite the government’s best effort to recover them. The minister blames the Sindh government’s refusal to release the staple food to flour mills for the wheat crisis in the country. In normal conditions, provincial governments release wheat to millers from September before mills’ own stocks deplete. On the other hand, the Punjab government has been releasing an interim wheat quota of 17,000 tonnes every day to keep the flour prices under control. Has it helped the Punjab government to sell flour at official price? No. Flour mills demand the release of 26,000 tonnes wheat every day will address the price issue. The government had barred flour mills from buying wheat on their own this summer only to meet its official targets, and now the open market sells wheat at inflated rates. In such a situation, the federal minister insists that if the Sindh government releases wheat stock as soon as possible, the price of wheat flour in the market will decline. The federal minister admits the fact that Sindh government has procured 1.25 million tonnes of wheat this year, which if it starts releasing from August may not last till the arrival of the next crop, expected in April 2021. Even if Sindh starts releasing the wheat right now, it will not resolve the crisis given the fact that the private sector knows very well that there is a shortage of the commodity in the country, and soon the released tonnes will be either smuggled or hoarded. The solution lies in keeping a good stock, which can be addressed through importing the required tonnes from the international market. The government needs to meet the demand of the market, otherwise wheat flour prices may not come down even if the Sindh government releases its share of wheat. *