The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Food Zahir Shah Toru has emphasized ongoing reforms in the food department to ensure transparency, aligned with the vision of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, the minister highlighted efforts towards restructuring and digitization of the department, noting that most of its operations have already been digitized, with the remaining processes expected to follow soon. Senior officials from the food department were also present during the briefing.
Toru revealed that when he assumed office, food department warehouses housed 141,000 metric tons of wheat, including 77,762 metric tons imported from Ukraine in 2021. This stock was procured by the previous caretaker government from PASSCO (Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation) in 2023.
To examine the quality of this wheat, 30 samples were sent to PCSIR and Qarshi Laboratories. However, the results from the two laboratories were contradictory, raising concerns over the usability of the stock.
Zahir Shah further said in light of these discrepancies, the provincial cabinet constituted a committee comprising microbiologist, agricultural expert, food scientist, and food safety specialist to further examine the wheat’s quality. The committee has forwarded the samples to the National Laboratory of Microbiology in Faisalabad, and results are expected next week. The findings will guide the decision on whether the wheat is fit for human consumption or not.
The minister assured that the issue of wheat quality would be resolved comprehensively without any pressure.
He criticized the previous provincial governments for supplying substandard wheat to the public and asserted that, for the first time in the province’s history, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government is providing high-quality wheat and flour to citizens.
He further stated that, according to international standards and the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), wheat containing aflatoxins (fungal toxins) up to 20 parts per billion (PPB) is deemed safe for human consumption.
Minister Toru also affirmed that the wheat procured during the last procurement campaign is of excellent quality and stored securely, ensuring the continued provision of premium flour to the public.
