Wheat and Sugar Stocks in Pakistan Enough Till Next Harvest, Cabinet Committee Says: Sugar Below Rs 155 Target
A cabinet committee under Ishaq Dar was told on 24 October 2026 that wheat stocks will last till harvest and sugar is below Rs 155. Flour is still rising.
Pakistan's wheat stocks, with imported wheat, are enough until the next harvest, and sugar is selling well below the government's target retail price of Rs 155 a kilo, a cabinet committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar was told on 24 October 2026. Dar was still worried about rising wheat prices. He told the federal and provincial governments to put more wheat on the market to bring prices down.
We read the Press Information Department (PID) release on the meeting, issued that evening, and checked the latest official prices in the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) weekly price report for 22 October. The two tell slightly different stories. Sugar really is cheap. Flour is not. Here is what the committee decided, what the price data shows, and what it means for your kitchen budget.
Wheat stocks with imports will last until the next harvest
The committee was told that domestic wheat stocks, together with imported wheat, are sufficient until the next harvest. That harvest starts around April 2027. Stocks of other daily essentials were also reported as adequate for local supply.
That is reassuring on supply. It does not mean prices will fall on their own. The release says Dar "expressed his concern over the rising trend of wheat prices". He directed the federal and provincial governments to take all necessary measures, including increasing the supply of wheat, to stabilise prices.
Provinces release wheat from their own stores to flour mills, so the order puts the next move with Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. All four chief secretaries attended the meeting. Three days earlier, a wheat import committee chaired by Dar asked for simpler import procedures but announced no quantity.
Sugar sells at Rs 141.61, below the Rs 155 target
The committee was told sugar is well below the targeted retail price of Rs 155 a kilo, with surplus stock until the next crushing season. PBS data agrees. The national average for refined sugar was Rs 141.61 a kilo in the week to 22 October 2026.
| Item | Week to 22 October 2026 | Week before | A year earlier | Change in a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar, 1 kg | Rs 141.61 | Rs 142.11 | Rs 188.81 | Down 25.00 per cent |
| Wheat flour, 20 kg bag | Rs 2,976.12 | Rs 2,946.72 | Rs 2,180.50 | Up 36.49 per cent |
That puts sugar Rs 13.39 under the target, by our arithmetic. It is also Rs 47.20 cheaper than a year ago. For a family buying 5 kg a month, that is about Rs 236 saved compared with last October. Shops in some cities still charge more than the average, so check the sugar price by city before you buy in bulk.
Flour is up 36 per cent in a year, which is why wheat worries the government
A 20 kg bag of wheat flour averaged Rs 2,976.12 in the week to 22 October 2026, PBS says. That is up Rs 29.40 in a week and Rs 795.62 in a year, a rise of 36.49 per cent. Flour is the reason the meeting focused on wheat.
Most households feel this every week. Flour is the single biggest food item in a low income family's spending, and its price has climbed every week this month. In Islamabad, the flour price this week averaged Rs 3,286.54 a bag.
More supply is the lever Dar named. When provinces release more wheat to mills at a fixed price, flour prices usually ease within a few weeks. The release gives no quantity, no release price and no date, so we cannot say yet how much relief is coming or when.
Zero tolerance on hoarding: what that means for shoppers
Dar told federal and provincial authorities to keep watch over market networks. He said every organisation must show zero tolerance towards hoarding or market speculation. Price control on the ground is a provincial and district job, so complaints go to your district administration.
- Note the price you were charged, the shop name and the date. A photo of the price board helps.
- Compare it with the official price list your district administration publishes for flour and sugar.
- Complain to the office of your Deputy Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner, who act as price control magistrates.
- Use your province's official price complaint helpline or app if it has one, and keep the complaint number.
- If a shop refuses to sell flour or sugar at all, report it as possible hoarding, not just overcharging.
Sugar mills start crushing in November. Growers are already asking for Rs 700 a maund for cane, which could push sugar prices up later in the season even with today's surplus.
Who attended and what happens next
The meeting was attended by the Minister for National Food Security and Research and Climate Change, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, the secretaries for food security and commerce, and the chief secretaries of all provinces. No new price, quota or import order was announced.
The next steps sit with the provinces. Watch for provincial notices on wheat releases to flour mills and on official flour prices. Watch PBS's weekly report each Friday, too. If the wheat order works, the 20 kg flour price should stop rising within two or three weeks.
Common questions
Is there a wheat shortage in Pakistan?
No, according to the committee. It was told domestic stocks plus imported wheat are sufficient until the next harvest. The concern is the rising price, not supply.
What is the target price of sugar in Pakistan?
The targeted retail price is Rs 155 a kilo, according to the PID release of 24 October 2026. PBS recorded an average of Rs 141.61 in the week to 22 October.
Will the flour price come down?
The government wants it to. Dar told federal and provincial governments to increase wheat supply to stabilise prices, but no quantity or date was announced.
How much is a 20 kg flour bag now?
The national average was Rs 2,976.12 in the week to 22 October 2026, according to PBS. City prices range widely, from about Rs 2,200 to over Rs 3,300.
Is sugar cheaper than last year?
Yes. PBS put sugar at Rs 141.61 a kilo in the week to 22 October 2026, against Rs 188.81 a year earlier. That is 25 per cent cheaper.
Who chaired the meeting?
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired the cabinet committee on stocks, prices and supply of essential commodities on 24 October 2026.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 24 October 2026. The committee's findings and directions come from PID press release No. 384 of 24 October 2026, read on the PID website that evening. The sugar and flour prices come from the PBS weekly SPI summary for 22 October 2026, which we downloaded and read the same day. The Rs 13.39 gap, the Rs 47.20 fall and the 5 kg saving are our own arithmetic. The release did not give stock quantities, so we could not check how long the wheat will last in weeks.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
