Daily Times

Minister for National Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam has said that the country has a stock of five million metric tons of wheat and 1.7 million metric tons of wheat will arrive by January next year. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Syed Fakhar Imam said that the private sector is likely to import 700,000 metric tons of wheat, whereas the country’s total consumption is around six million tons. Speaking on this occasion, Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar said that the Trading Corporation of Pakistan has imported 150,000 tons of sugar, which will be released at controlled rate, while similar quantity is being procured by the private sector. He said it has been proposed to impose a fine of Rs5 million on sugar mills, which fail to start crushing season well in time. Hammad Azhar said that provinces are requested to initiate legislation for this purpose, making it obligatory to start the crushing of sugarcane from 10th of the next month. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi speaking on this occasion said that the federal government will take all administrative measures to control rates of essential commodities, including sugar and wheat.