Home »Agriculture and Allied » Pakistan » No ban imposed on inter-provincial movement of wheat: Punjab government tells KPK
The Punjab government has informed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) government that it has not imposed any ban on inter-provincial movement of wheat following a decline in wheat output due to recent rains. A senior official of KPK agriculture department said that food department of Punjab has written a letter to KPK food department stating that it has not blocked supply of wheat to KPK and the media reports regarding the ban are false.

"Private trade of wheat is continuing between the two provinces and food department of KPK will also purchase wheat from the Punjab government," he told Business Recorder. He said that under Article 151 of the constitution, provinces cannot impose a ban on movement of edible commodities throughout Pakistan.

Article 151 of the constitution pertaining to inter-provincial trade stipulates: "Subject to clause (2) trade, commerce and intercourse throughout Pakistan shall be free. (2) 1[Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] may by law impose such restrictions on the freedom of trade, commerce or intercourse between one province and another or within any part of Pakistan as may be required in the Public interest.(3) A provincial assembly or a provincial government shall not have power to-(a) make any law, or take any executive action, prohibiting or restricting the entry into, or the export from, the province of goods of any class or description".

Another official of Ministry of National Food Security and Research said that recent rains damaged 1.2 million tons of wheat across the country; and added that there is no provision in the constitution to block supply of wheat but in the past Punjab government had stopped supply of grain to KPK with the objective of stopping its smuggling to Afghanistan.

He said that Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation (PASSCO) and provincial food of KPK will procure wheat. Wheat review committee in its meeting on February 13, 2019 agreed that PASSCO and provincial food departments will procure 6.90 million of tons of wheat, he said.

Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) crop situation report notes that rain spell/hailstorm during 15 to 17 April, affected wheat crop to varying extent from lodging to post-harvest losses particularly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces. Rain spell/hailstorm damages were significant enough to reduce size of the crop from last year.

Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) during its previous meeting held in April fixed wheat crop production target at 25.51 million tons from an area of 8.833 million hectares during Rabi 2018-19. Out of 25.51 million tons, Punjab was projected to produce 19.5 million tons, Sindh, 3.800 million tons, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1.362 million tons, and Balochistan will produce 0.900 million tons. The national requirement of wheat is 25.8 million tons including 1 million tons strategic reserves and 0.5 million tons for seed and feed purposes.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019


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