Chief Minister orders border watch against wheat smuggling, mandatory wheat sowing on state land and early Ramazan fruit stockpiles, as a briefing claims prices of 10 essentials are falling
LAHORE: Punjab will stop the sale of 20-kilogram flour bags across the province and allow only 10kg packs in the market, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s government decided on Thursday, as it tightens control over wheat and flour movement ahead of winter.
The decision was taken at a special meeting on food prices attended by commissioners and deputy commissioners by video link. The chief minister also ordered strict surveillance of inter-provincial borders to stop wheat and flour smuggling, told every deputy commissioner to meet district wheat-sowing targets, and directed early stockpiling of fruit for Ramazan.
Why the 20kg bag is going
The government did not spell out its reasoning, but the move is tied to its anti-smuggling drive. Larger bags have been the standard unit for both household buying and bulk movement of flour, and officials have repeatedly intercepted trucks carrying 20kg bags towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where flour sells at higher prices. Standardising on a smaller pack is meant to make bulk diversion harder to hide and easier to track.
The change will also alter how Lahore households buy their staple. Families who bought one 20kg bag will now need two 10kg packs. The official rate for a 10kg bag milled from government wheat is Rs1,100, while a 20kg bag was averaging around Rs2,200 in Lahore in early October and close to Rs2,850 nationally, according to weekly price data. Millers and retailers will need time to switch packaging, and it was not immediately clear when the ban takes effect or how existing stock will be handled.
The decision follows weeks of turbulence in the flour market. The province approved a Rs10 billion flour subsidy on October 10 days after denying a shortage, the food department says half of Punjab’s flour is now subsidised, and this newspaper found that daily supply figures do not add up. Earlier in the year, prices jumped to Rs2,000 for a 20kg bag.
Wheat on every available acre
To build next year’s supply, the chief minister ordered wheat to be sown on all land covered by the Lambardar (village headman) land grants, the Ghori Pal horse-breeding scheme and the Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar farm scheme, and on all state-owned land in every district. Deputy commissioners were told they would be held to district sowing targets.
The push comes as farmers weigh high input costs and uncertain support prices after a difficult season. Farmers’ groups have urged the government to test soil before sowing and to make fertiliser affordable if it wants a bigger crop.
Ramazan planning, five months out
Ramazan is expected to begin around February 9, 2027. The chief minister directed that bananas, apples and dates be available at controlled prices during the holy month and told every deputy commissioner to ensure sufficient stocks in cold storage within their district. Prices of these fruits typically spike in Ramazan as demand for iftar surges.
From waste to ‘wealth’
The meeting approved a “Transforming Market Waste into Wealth” initiative, the first of its kind in Punjab, aimed at turning the large volumes of rotting produce discarded at wholesale markets into compost, animal feed or other products. It also approved a dehydration project under the Punjab Agricultural Marketing Regulatory Authority (PAMRA) to preserve fruit and vegetables for sale in the off-season, which could reduce both waste and seasonal price swings.
Work has begun on Punjab’s first “Mandi Mart” for fruit and vegetables in Kahna, on Lahore’s southern edge. The chief minister set a target for its early completion and ordered similar facilities across the province.
Loose milk and the price app
Maryam Nawaz ordered effective regulation of loose milk sales to ensure hygienic standards. Most Lahore households buy unpackaged milk from local shops, where adulteration and ignored official price lists have long been complaints. The Qeemat price-monitoring app will also be upgraded.
The price claims
Officials presented a comparison of prices for 15 food items, including vegetables and pulses, and said 10 had shown a sustained decline, with some falling “by as much as 252%”. A price cannot fall by more than 100%, so the figure likely reflects a different calculation, such as the percentage the earlier price exceeded the current one; the handout did not name the items or explain the method. Officials said most other food items and pulses had remained stable.
Whatever the trend in vegetables, the cost of the city’s daily bread remains a sore point. On World Food Day this month, this newspaper counted the cost of Lahore’s daily roti, and the province is also betting on longer-term fixes through its Rs1.995 trillion farm and industry programme, which includes wheat value-chain support.
The government is expected to issue a formal notification setting the date for the 20kg ban and rules for millers and retailers. Whether the switch curbs smuggling without pushing up the per-kilogram price for consumers will be the test.
Leave a Reply