ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is expected to face a wheat shortage of over five million tons next year with a reduction in the crop sowing area and production, according to provincial governments estimates, as economists and food security experts say this will strain on the economy and lead to inflation.
Wheat is a staple food in Pakistan and its shortage can lead to political unrest and protests against governments. The South Asian nation of 241 million is expected to face a shortfall of 5.66 million tons of the commodity next year and would have to spend foreign exchange to import wheat to fulfill local demand.
This year, the government allowed the private sector to import over three million tons of wheat to overcome shortages while tens of thousands of farmers staged protests in several cities over the government’s decision not to buy their wheat, causing them huge income losses.
The government routinely purchases around 20 percent of all the wheat produced by local farmers at a fixed cost to ensure price stability, prevent hoarding, and maintain the supply chain. However, it lowered its purchase target to two million tons from around six million tons this year, with farmers in Punjab, the country’s largest wheat producer, asking the authorities to stop imports and purchase the commodity from them at the minimum support price fixed officially.
“The provinces have come up with a lower sowing area and production target of wheat for the next year, therefore the country will face a shortage of the commodity,” Yasir Shakeel, a deputy director at Ministry of National Food Security and Research, told Arab News. “The provincial governments have been taking measures to achieve the sowing and production targets of wheat to fulfill the local need.”
He said the Federal Committee on Agriculture had set a wheat production target of 33.58 million tons from target area of 10.368 million hectares for 2025-26 based on national requirement for the produce to attain self-sufficiency.
“According to provincial governments’ proposals the target area for wheat will be 9.263 million hectares with production of 27.92 million tons,” he said.
The official said the Indus River System Authority’s advisory committee has anticipated a shortage of water to the extent of about 16 percent for Punjab and Sindh during the winter crop season, running from October to April, which could impact the wheat production along with other crops.
Farmers on the other hand have urged the government to announce a minimum support price of over Rs4,500 per 40 kilogram to encourage their community to sow the crop to achieve the government’s production target.
“There are still 15 to 20 days before the wheat sowing season concludes, so the government’s intervention at this stage may help encourage farmers sow the crop instead of looking for the alternatives,” Khalid Bath, President Kissan Ittehad, a farmers’ association, told Arab News.
As per the Kissan Ittehad estimates, the wheat sowing area can drop more than 30 percent this year compared to the previous year due to the Punjab administration’s policy of reducing the procurement target.
Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, food security expert, said the farmers had not received a fair price for their cash crop, adding they were short of investments to sow the wheat crop on a large area.
“Farmers are looking for substitutes to earn profits on their crops as the government is apparently not willing to announce the minimum support price for the next year’s crop,” he told Arab News. “This will definitely lead to food shortages in the country, and the private sector will have a role to play to import the product to meet the local demand.”
Asif Arsalan Haider, a senior economist, maintained Pakistan’s inflation rate was heavily influenced by the agricultural products in the country, pointing out that wheat shortage would have a major impact on it.
“Pakistan’s rural economy is dependent on agriculture,” he said. “Therefore, farmers may face hardships if the government does not procure their produce at a fixed price.”
“The government should come up with a long term agricultural policy instead of resorting to stopgap arrangements each year,” he added.
Earlier this year in May, local media reported that the Punjab government had reduced its usual wheat procurement, allowing the private sector to play a larger role in purchasing the crop due to significant financial constraints, with annual procurement costs reaching around Rs400 billion ($1.4 billion).
The move was described partly as a response to the International Monetary Fund’s recommendations to cut provincial expenditures.
Reports also quoted Punjab’s Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman as saying that most farmers had sold their wheat to middlemen, leading to market prices of Rs3,200-3,300 per maund, a traditional unit of mass commonly used in South Asia, amounting to about 40 kilograms, though this shift slightly reduced profit margins for farmers.
Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area
https://arab.news/rcx6e
Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area
- Federal government wants 33.58 million tons, while provinces expect 27.92 million due to reduced sowing area
- Farmers urge minimum support price announcement from Punjab to encourage wheat sowing this season
Seven soldiers killed as separatists attack security vehicle in southwest Pakistan
- Pakistan army says IED attack launched in Kachhi District by BLA separatist group, accuses it of being an Indian “proxy”
- BLA carried out train hijacking in March in which 23 soldiers, three railway employees, five passengers were killed
KARACHI: The Pakistan army said on Tuesday seven soldiers were killed after militants attacked a security vehicle in the southwestern Balochistan province, where the military is fighting an intensifying separatist insurgency.
The army said the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has targeted the vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Mach in Kachhi District.
“Resultantly, seven brave sons of soil embraced shahadat [martyrdom],” a statement from the army said.
The military accused the BLA, the strongest of a number of insurgent groups long operating in Balochistan, of being a proxy of India.
“Nefarious designs of India and its proxies operating on Pakistani soil will be defeated by the valiant security forces, law enforcement agencies and the brave nation of Pakistan,” the military statement said.
The latest attack is the worst since March when the BLA carried out a train hijacking that resulted in the deaths of 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers. At least 33 insurgents were also killed.
In what was previously a low-level insurgency, the militants have in recent months stepped up their activities using new tactics to inflict high death and injury tolls and target Pakistan’s military. It has also targeted Chinese interests.
The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province located in Pakistan’s southwest and bordering Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west.
It is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the federal government for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources. Balochistan’s mountainous border region serves as a safe haven and training ground for the Baloch and other insurgents.
The BLA often targets infrastructure and security forces in Balochistan, but has also truck in other areas — most notably the southern port city of Karachi.
The insurgents target Pakistan’s army and Chinese interests, in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad to exploit the province.
Militants have killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi.
Balochistan is an important part of China’s $65 billion investment in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a wing of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative. It is home to key mining projects, including Reko Diq, run by mining giant Barrick Gold (ABX.TO), and believed to be one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines. China also operates a gold and copper mine in the province.
The decades-old insurgency has continued to keep the province of some 15 million people unstable and created security concerns around Pakistan’s plans to access untapped resources.
It is Pakistan’s largest province by area, but smallest by population. Balochistan also has a long Arabian Sea coastline, not far from the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane.
Islamabad accuses India and Afghanistan of backing the militants to damage Pakistan’s relations with China, a charge both countries deny.
With inputs from Reuters
Pakistan accuses India of altering Chenab River flow as tensions rise
- Punjab irrigation minister says Pakistan has ‘witnessed changes in the river which are not natural’
- India recently lowered the sluice gates of the Baglihar dam to restrict water as a ‘punitive action’
LAHORE: Pakistan on Tuesday accused India of altering the flow of the Chenab River, one of three rivers placed under Pakistan’s control according to the now suspended Indus Waters Treaty.
This major river originates in India but was allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, signed by the two nuclear powers.
India suspended the treaty following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people.
Islamabad warned that tampering with its rivers would be considered “an act of war.”
“We have witnessed changes in the river (Chenab) which are not natural at all,” Kazim Pirzada, irrigation minister for Punjab province, told AFP.
Punjab, bordering India and home to nearly half of Pakistan’s 240 million citizens, is the country’s agricultural heartland, and “the majority impact will be felt in areas which have fewer alternate water routes,” Pirzada warned.
“One day the river had normal inflow and the next day it was greatly reduced,” Pirzada added.
In Azad Kashmir, large quantities of water from India were reportedly released on April 26, according to the Jinnah Institute, a think tank led by a former Pakistani climate change minister.
“This is being done so that we don’t get to utilize the water,” Pirzada added.
The gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam in Indian-administered Kashmir which lies upstream of Pakistani Punjab “have been lowered to restrict water flow ... as a short-term punitive action,” a senior Indian official has told The Indian Express.
The Indus Waters Treaty permits India to use shared rivers for dams or irrigation but prohibits diverting watercourses or altering downstream volumes.
Indian authorities have not commented yet but Kushvinder Vohra, former head of India’s Central Water Commission, told The Times of India: “Since the treaty is on pause ... we may do flushing on any project without any obligation.”
Experts said the water cannot be stopped in the longer term, and that India can only regulate timings of when it releases flows.
However, the Jinnah Institute warned: “Even small changes in the timing of water releases can disrupt sowing calendars (and) reduce crop yields.”
Fear and uncertainty grip Azad Kashmir’s tourism sector as India-Pakistan tensions soar
- Guesthouses in Azad Kashmir experiencing “zero occupancy” due to safety concerns and restrictions, says hotel association
- Tensions between Delhi, Islamabad have surged since last month when militant attack killed 26 in Indian-administered Kashmir
PIR CHANASI, Muzaffarabad: Tensions between India and Pakistan have impacted tourism in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, with local business owners reporting a sharp decline in visitor arrivals on Sunday (May 4) due to safety concerns and restrictions on movement enforced by Pakistani authorities.
The latest crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbors was sparked by a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region last week that saw suspected militants kill at least 26 people. India has accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack, which Islamabad denies. Pakistan has said it has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch military action.
The Pir Chinasi area in Muzaffarabad district, a popular hilltop tourist destination not far from the border with India-administered Kashmir, has seen a dramatic drop in footfall, leaving hotels empty and businesses struggling.
“Due to tensions between India and Pakistan, the roads have been closed here since the border is nearby,” Mohammad Saghir, a local restaurant owner, said. “Because of this, only a few tourists are coming here.”
However, Syed Yasir Ali, a tourist from Islamabad, said he believes the area is still “a safe place” and “very peaceful.”
Despite Ali’s positive reassurances, Abrar Ahmed Butt, a spokesperson for the All Kashmir Hotel Association, local hotels and guesthouses have experienced “zero occupancy” over the past eight days due to road closures and restrictions on movement being enforced by local authorities. With no end in sight for the current hostilities, Butt said he is “hoping for the best”, but very supportive of Pakistani authorities, even if it means preventing tourists from traveling to the Muzaffarabad area.
“National security is our top priority. As patriots, we love our country. When our country is secure, business and other aspects will follow suit. With faith, we trust things will improve,” said Butt.
Flight club: Pinching pigeons on the India-Pakistan border
- Pigeon fanciers on both sides of de facto border try to lure birds from each other
- Indian bird keepers say Pakistani pigeons are “bred better and fly longer durations”
JAMMU: In the skies above the bunkers where Indian and Pakistani soldiers trade gunfire, masters of an ancient sport beloved on both sides seek to snatch prized pigeons from the other.
Indian breeder Pyara Singh spends his days trying to lure Pakistani birds from across the Himalayan valley, and guard against rivals wooing his flock.
“We get pigeons from Pakistan — we catch them,” said 33-year-old Singh, watching as some of his feathered favorites twisted like jets overhead. “We also often lose our pigeons to them.”
An attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that New Delhi blames on Islamabad has sparked fears of renewed conflict between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals.
Pakistan insists it was not involved in the April 22 killings of 26 mainly Hindu men but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to respond.
Like every night since April 26, India’s army said Monday that its troops had exchanged gunfire with Pakistani soldiers overnight across the de facto frontier in contested Kashmir.
Pigeon fanciers across the divide can’t meet face-to-face but share the same passion. Breeders say the top birds can be worth hundreds of dollars.
The skill of “kabutar-baazi” pigeon flying stretches back centuries, straddling a border created at the violent end of British imperial rule in 1947.
Singh, sitting with his 100-strong flock on the roof of his home in the village of Pangali, said it was “it is an old art.”
Keepers guide the flight of their flocks with whistles to provide a swirling spectacle.
Others race them, timing their flight home, or simply find peace in their graceful colorations and gentle coos.
But Indian keepers like Singh say their Pakistani counterparts rear “better and stronger” birds, explaining the buzz in catching their pigeons.
“They are a treasured possession,” said Aarav KHajjuria, from Sainth, another frontline Indian village.
He proudly showed his flock of 29 birds — three of which are from Pakistan.
“Our pigeons also fly there,” he said. “Two of my pigeons went.”
The teenager started breeding pigeons four years ago after watching another local fancier catch a bird.
“I was fascinated,” KHajjuria added. “I now spend time on the roof, both immediately before and after I return from school.”
But he is most proud of his Pakistani captives.
“I lured them after they’d strayed across,” he said, pointing to a nearby row of trees that mark the border.
Pakistani pigeons “are better because they’re bred better and fly longer durations in a competition,” KHajjuria said.
Keepers say capturing a pigeon is a skill, using water, grain and their own flock to lure the stray bird into the fold.
Once the bird lands, they immediately clip some feathers to stop them flying. While they grow back, the bird builds a bond with the new flock.
Fanciers fix leg rings with contact details to the animals.
“If we catch a bird that belongs to someone from the nearby villages, and we know them, we call them and hand it back,” Singh said, hand on his heart.
Birds from Pakistan are a different matter.
“Given the overall situation, and the risks involved, no one calls if the bird is from the other side,” he said.
“We don’t want any issues in the future, and allegations that as an Indian we were contacting Pakistanis.”
In fact, fanciers say that police are wary Pakistani pigeons might be carrying messages.
Indian police have in recent years “detained” several suspected of being enemy carrier pigeons, with some jailbirds accused of having Pakistani links, others Chinese.
“The Pakistani side often marks their pigeons with ink stamps, names, or rings — but beyond that, we haven’t seen anything suspicious yet,” Singh said.
“We inform the army if we come across such a pigeon, but so far, we haven’t caught any with a camera,” he joked.
Singh says he worries that the nightly gunfire will escalate.
“Ideally there shouldn’t be a war,” he said, but said the April 22 attack was “so wrong that it can’t be left unanswered.”
But he is confident nothing will stop his pigeons flying free.
“The border is not for the bird,” he said.
“No army or fence could stop them. How could you? Our pigeons go there, and theirs often cross into India.”
Pakistan calls for data-driven disaster management as extreme weather risks grow
- Dr. Musadiq Malik inaugurates Pakistan Expo on Disaster Risk Reduction organized by the NDMA
- He highlights the country’s efforts to strengthen disaster resilience through early warning systems
ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani minister on Tuesday called for a data-driven and community-inclusive approach to disaster management, as the country faces increasing threats from extreme weather events.
Pakistan has endured repeated climate-related disasters in recent years, including heatwaves, droughts and catastrophic flooding, such as the deadly 2022 deluge that displaced millions and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr. Musadiq Malik said disaster management in complex environments required culturally sensitive solutions informed by evidence and broad inter-agency coordination.
“Pakistan’s vision for resilience by 2030 hinges on innovation, inter-agency coordination, and evidence-based decision-making,” he said while addressing the inauguration of the 2nd Pakistan Expo on Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR-25), organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The event brought together diplomats, United Nations representatives, humanitarian partners and private sector leaders.
Malik highlighted Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen disaster resilience through early warning systems, localized response mechanisms and international cooperation.
He also pointed to the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) that was set up to improve national response coordination and share technical expertise with regional partners.
“Pakistan has transformed challenges into opportunities by developing indigenous capacities like NEOC and sharing technical expertise with regional partners, creating goodwill and diplomatic leverage,” he added.
The minister praised the combined efforts of civil and military responders, civil society organizations and development partners in tackling past disasters and urged international donors to increase support for Pakistan’s adaptation and mitigation strategies, including better access to climate finance and carbon markets.
