Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has ordered the department concern to import 250,000 tons of wheat immediately, local newspaper DAWN reported on Wednesday.
Chairing a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet here on Tuesday, Gilani said that price in the world market was showing a downward trend and 250,000 tons of wheat should be imported to meet the shortfall in the country.
The ECC approved a proposal to import 1.5 million tons of wheat and kept in place a ban on its inter-provincial movement to discourage wheat smuggling and hoarding.
The ECC also approved the export of 50,000 tons of wheat to Afghanistan to avert a food crisis in the neighboring country.
The committee was informed at the meeting that the wheat procurement target for 2008 to 2009 should be five million tons and 1.121 million tons had been procured.
There is a surplus of rice production in Pakistan, however, the ECC directed that the country should only export rice after meeting domestic demand.
Faced with a shortage of wheat, Pakistan has adopted a variety of measures to settle the problem. Quite a number of stores have been set up to provide flour products at rates fixed by the government, which has also been cracking down the smuggling of wheat.
Source:Xinhua
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