With yet another sugar price issue on its back, Pakistan entered the ongoing monsoon disaster. It is now accompanied by a similar wheat problem. The cost of wheat and flour has increased significantly; this week, wheat increased by Rs300 to Rs3,100 per maund (40 kg). The increase comes after a month-long increasing trend in which the price of a 20kg flour bag increased by almost Rs500 and wheat gained almost Rs1,000 every 40kg. The chairman of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association has reportedly stated that the government has been having difficulties managing wheat prices, and some have suggested that market manipulation may be the cause of the surge. Low wheat stockpiles have been cited by others; it is estimated that Punjab’s 2.5 million tons will not be sufficient to supply demand until April 2026. In the food industry, the intricate relationship between prices, market dynamics, and regulations is always difficult for the state to balance.
This contributes to the severe food insecurity that affects almost 11 million people nationwide. With vast areas of Punjab, the country’s breadbasket, now under water, the food insecurity situation might only worsen. According to experts, the recent floods are causing older and more energy-intensive farming methods to collide, increasing farmer expenses and endangering the nation’s food security. The country’s reliance on an agricultural paradigm that is highly susceptible to the precise type of climate shock it is currently experiencing is the issue, not merely the fact that thousands of animals have been lost and thousands of acres of cropland have been submerged. The current situation does not call for a heavy reliance on diesel-powered irrigation, inefficient tube wells, or outdated technology. Given the state of the nation’s transportation system, how can anyone anticipate a consistent supply of diesel, even if their farm has not been inundated? Although solar pumps would be the ideal substitute, the current solar boom has primarily benefited the wealthy and urban areas, which is not where the greatest need for them exists.
The absence of cold storage is another significant flaw in the current farming paradigm that officials and experts have pointed out, especially in flood-prone areas where post-harvest losses spike during power outages. Food that has already been gathered and ought to be sold in these situations may just go bad. Beyond the debate over models, efficiency, and climate resilience, though, there is the suffering of thousands of farmers who have seen their labors merely erased. Furthermore, they have already been asked to bear this loss. In 2010, 2012, 2022, and now in 2025, it has occurred. Imagine the sense of emptiness that comes from reconstructing after a flood tragedy just to have it devastated by another. Seldom do the intervening years provide any respite either.
Pakistan is dealing with drought and water scarcity when it isn’t drowning in water. The farmers find themselves in the midst of these erratic fluctuations. Under such conditions, who will continue to work as a farmer? Perhaps more crucially, who will finance this more dangerous industry with loans and other forms of financing? The government of Pakistan must provide its farmers the motivation to continue. This may be the only way we can avoid the lines for roti in every neighborhood, but it is neither “relief” nor “charity.”
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