The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Department will begin its annual wheat procurement drive on April 15. The provincial cabinet finalized the timeline this week, aiming to secure local stocks amid lingering concerns over market stability and flour prices.
The government has set a target to procure 300,000 metric tons of wheat directly from local farmers. Officials say the move is intended to ensure fair prices for growers while maintaining a strategic reserve to keep the province’s food supply chain insulated from market volatility.
Farmers have been pushing for higher support prices, citing the rising cost of fertilizers and diesel. While the provincial government has yet to announce a final support price that satisfies all stakeholders, the Food Department insists the procurement centers will be operational across all major wheat-producing districts by mid-April.
Last year’s procurement saw significant hurdles, including logistics delays and complaints from farmers about the complexity of the digital registration system. This year, the department claims it has simplified the process, moving toward a more localized verification system to minimize the time farmers spend waiting at collection points.
Critics remain skeptical. Agricultural analysts argue that without a substantial increase in the support price, farmers may prefer selling to private millers who often offer immediate cash payments, bypassing government centers altogether. If the government fails to compete with private market rates, the 300,000-ton goal may prove difficult to reach.
The Food Department has directed all district officers to finalize the list of procurement centers by April 10. They have also promised that payment transfers to farmers will be expedited this season to prevent the long delays that plagued previous cycles.
For now, the provincial government is banking on this early start to stabilize supply before the peak summer demand hits. Whether the local harvest volume meets these expectations—and whether farmers actually show up to sell—will be clear within the first week of operations.
