Lahore: Wheat procurement in Punjab has experienced a significant increase over the past fifty years, doubling per capita from 17 kilograms to over 33 kilograms per resident. This expansion highlights the growing role of government intervention in grain markets, aiming to stabilize prices and ensure food security in Pakistan’s largest agricultural province.
According to the Gilani Research Foundation, data from the Bureau of Statistics indicate that wheat procurement volumes, public releases, and reserves have all increased substantially since the early 1970s. The Punjab Food Department and the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) have played key roles in purchasing wheat from farmers, maintaining strategic reserves, and supplying wheat to markets through public distribution systems. The government’s wheat procurement rose from 6,421 hundred metric tons in 1971-72 to 36,903 hundred metric tons in 2020-21.
This increase in procurement was not only aimed at supporting farmers but also at stabilizing grain markets. Public wheat releases to markets saw a substantial rise as well, from 574 thousand metric tons to 5,121 thousand metric tons during the same period. The Punjab Food Department accounted for the majority of procurement, while PASSCO played a complementary role, together reaching a combined procurement of 45,044 hundred metric tons in 2021.
The expansion of procurement has been accompanied by a significant increase in government wheat reserves, with monthly stocks exceeding 6.8 million tons in 2018-19. This has enabled the government to maintain strategic grain stocks that can be released into markets during shortages or price volatility, ensuring food security across the province.
The report, titled Punjab Development Statistics for 50 Years (1972-2021), serves as a statistical compendium consolidating five decades of data across key sectors. It provides a data-driven perspective on Punjab’s structural transformation, enabling evidence-based policy analysis and development planning.