Right now the Prime Minister of Pakistan was discussing ways to deal with inflation in his country that another crisis has started to grow. Pakistan is once again going through the wheat crisis. When Imran Khan took charge of the country as Prime Minister in the year 2018, the wheat crisis in the country has been increasing since then. It is not that wheat production in Pakistan is low. Pak can claim to be self-sufficient in the production of wheat.
Even after this, its prices are increasing. Within the last eight months, the prices of wheat in villages have increased by about 43 percent and in urban areas by 45.12 percent. Wheat smuggling has become the biggest reason behind this crisis.
Wheat shortage this year too
According to Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security, there is going to be a shortage of wheat this year as well. The target of 27 million tonnes of wheat was set and it has reached only 25.2 million tonnes.
Imran government has approved the import of wheat to both private and government sectors. This wheat crisis is more due to smuggling than hoarding.
According to the report of the magazine Business Recorder, smuggling of wheat and other products from Pakistan to Afghanistan is done on a large scale. This smuggling has become a big challenge for the Imran government.
Several measures have been taken to prevent smuggling from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, but even after this, no success is being achieved.
Hard to control smuggling
According to Pak security officials, the smuggling of wheat and flour is still going on. Along with this, many other products are also smuggled. Some officials even say in a tongue-in-cheek that it is not possible to do this without the connivance of the customs officers.
Apart from this, officers of the legal agencies, police and local authorities on the border have also become a part of the mafia. Many officials have even gone on to say that the Afghanistan-Transit Trade Treaty is being misused. Because of this deal, smuggling between the two countries is constantly increasing.
How does smuggling happen
Trucks loaded with wheat bags are very smartly smuggled. The trucks that cross the border are laden with wheat and the rest of the food items are kept on them in such a way that no one is able to find anything.
These trucks are bribed and sent to Afghanistan with help. In September 2019, the Imran government banned Afghanistan exports of wheat and flour.
In November 2029, exports of semolina and maida were also banned. There are eight borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan which include Torkham, Khyber, Arandu, Chitral, Gursal, Bajaur, Nava Pass, Mohammad, Kharalachi, Khurram, Ghulam Khan, North Waziristan, Angoor Adda, South Waziristan, Chaman and Balochistan.
200 trucks a day go to Afghanistan
If sources are to be believed, five of the eight borders are open between the two countries and out of these, custom officers are present at Torkham, Chaman and Karachi. While there is no presence of security forces on the grapes, Adda and Ghulam Khan. At the same time, there is no trading activity on the remaining Arandu, Gursal and Nava passes.
Last year, Don claimed in a report that 150 to 200 trucks loaded with sacks of wheat are sent from Sindh to Afghanistan by illegal means daily. From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan to Afghanistan, smuggling of goods like wheat, sugar, semolina and maida is done. These trucks enter Afghanistan via Balochistan.