Army to get local wheat

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, which also approved a Rs4.188bn severance package to the erstwhile Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) and auction of 8,198 tonnes of flood-damaged wheat. The Ministry of Defence had sought allocation of 175,000 tonnes of 100pc indigenous wheat only from 2026-27 crop, saying wheat flour was the main staple food in the army and had a direct bearing on the morale of troops deployed in challenging environments ranging from glacial to desert terrains. For the last four years, Passco had been supplying 175,000 tonnes to the Pakistan Army under government rates on a 50:50 basis, using imported and local wheat, under the ECC decision. The imported wheat, however, reportedly caused issues with its taste, cooking, and appearance, and was therefore not liked by the troops, leading to numerous complaints about the quality of chappati made from it. In November 2024, the ECC again decided to allocate wheat to the armed forces at the 50:50 ratio. As a consequence, the army had to procure indigenous wheat through private firms to ensure better quality food preferred by the troops. This will save an additional Rs2.8bn in expenditure on imported wheat, according to the military’s finance wing. The ECC approved a 100pc supply from local fresh-crop produce. The ECC also “approved a proposal submitted by the Ministry of Commerce to amend the Import Policy Order 2022, by incorporating a definition of “forced labour” in line with the ILO Forced Labour Convention 1930 (No. 29).