A wheat vessel carrying 51,000 metric tonnes has berthed at Karachi Port, the latest arrival in Pakistan's programme of grain imports aimed at keeping domestic supplies steady and flour prices under control. The Karachi Port Trust said the geared vessel, MV Gokova M, arrived at 12:25pm on Wednesday, 28 October, and was assigned Berths 16 and 17, where cargo handling was under way. The port authority said a second vessel, MV Great Rainbow, carrying 59,132.19 metric tonnes of wheat, is expected on 3 November. Together, the two shipments would bring in more than 110,000 metric tonnes.

Dar reviews stocks and flour prices

Separately in Islamabad, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee on Wheat to review national grain stocks and planned imports. According to an official statement reported by Associated Press of Pakistan, Dar directed the authorities concerned to monitor market trends closely and to ensure that wheat supply remained adequate and flour prices moved downwards. He said maintaining sufficient stocks and preventing any disruption in grain supply remained a top priority for the government, and stressed that smooth coordination between federal and provincial bodies was vital to keeping prices affordable for the public.

Why imports matter for households

Wheat is Pakistan's staple grain, and flour prices feed directly into household budgets, so the government has treated import planning as a food-security issue rather than a purely commercial one. The committee evaluated grain availability and import plans designed to keep supplies steady. The meeting was attended by National Food Security and Research Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, and senior officials from the provinces and relevant ministries.

Sources: Karachi Port Trust report via Khabarwalay, APP report via Tez Khabar.