The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Wednesday approved the offloading of 800,000 tonnes of wheat amid concerns over mounting storage costs and alleged waste of public funds linked to imported stocks accumulated since 2021-22.
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The Economic Coordination Committee meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, was informed that around 1.8 million tonnes of wheat stocks remain with the Pakistan Agricultural Services and Storage Corporation (Passco), which is in the process of winding up. Of this quantity, approximately 550,000 tonnes relate to wheat imported from Ukraine during 2021-22, much of which is reportedly no longer fit for human consumption.
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet met today at the Finance Division under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb to consider a range of important economic, fiscal and sectoral matters aimed at ensuring… pic.twitter.com/7wOuKbjwPL
— Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan (@Financegovpk) January 28, 2026
Under the decision, 800,000 tonnes of wheat will be offloaded at an estimated cost of around Rs70 billion, leaving close to one million tonnes still in storage, largely in deteriorated condition. According to an official statement, the ECC approved the disposal of 500,000 tonnes of Passco wheat through competitive bidding to manage surplus stocks, reduce storage and carrying costs, and support price stability in the domestic market while safeguarding food security.
The disposal is expected to generate over Rs45 billion in proceeds, a portion of which may be used to finance severance and voluntary separation packages for around 200 Passco employees. The cost of the proposed package has been estimated at up to Rs4 billion, though the committee deferred a final decision on the matter.
In a related move, the ECC approved the release of 300,000 tonnes of wheat to the Punjab government’s Food and Consumer Protection Department to ensure adequate supplies for flour mills and maintain price stability.
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The committee also approved more than Rs66 billion in supplementary grants, including funds to clear outstanding liabilities of utility companies, support vaccine procurement under the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, and share subsidies on imported urea between federal and provincial governments.