The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved the formation of a high-level steering committee to assess Pakistan’s wheat requirements and recommend an operational framework for future wheat imports.

The decision was taken during a virtual ECC meeting chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb after considering a summary submitted by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

The committee will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and tasked with evaluating the country’s wheat needs, reviewing import proposals, and developing a coordinated mechanism based on demand from the provinces.

Its members include the federal ministers for National Food Security, Commerce, Economic Affairs, and Law, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Agriculture and Food Security, senior officials from the Finance, Commerce, and National Food Security ministries, the Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the Chairman of the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), and the chief secretaries of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.

According to the Finance Division, the committee will conduct periodic need assessments and recommend how wheat imports should be managed in line with provincial requirements.

The ECC meeting was attended by several federal ministers, senior government officials, and representatives of relevant ministries and regulatory authorities.