Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum, and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Friday said a new wheat crisis has begun to emerge which must be addressed immediately.
Government should immediately spring into action because if left unmanaged, it can result in some serious issues, he said.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that experts are expressing fear of a lower than expected wheat crop and such a shortfall cannot be ignored.
Talking to the business community, the veteran business leader said that the issue if left unaddressed will result in unrest and chaos in the country.
He said that wheat is being cultivated on about 80% of agricultural land in Pakistan since the 1970s but demand could not be met while the annual wheat crisis has become a permanent problem.
The area under cultivation is being reduced while the cost of fertilizer, seeds, diesel and other items and poor quality of many inputs is creating problems.
He said that hoarders and smugglers of wheat have also become a threat to food security on the back of the increasing population coupled with low productivity.
