Flood-hit Pakistan province faces food crisis as Punjab ‘halts’ wheat supply

In the flood-hit valleys of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, families who lost their wheat stocks to surging waters are now staring at a food crisis.

For weeks, they depended on grain shipments from Punjab, the country’s main breadbasket. But when Punjab itself was inundated after India released excess water into Pakistani rivers, those supplies stopped — leaving residents of districts like Buner caught between destroyed farmland and empty markets.

Omer Dair, a farmer from Buner, said the floods not only swept away his house but also destroyed his family’s crops and food reserves.

“The floods wiped out the standing maize crop on my 30 kanals of land, along with our stored wheat and flour,” he told Nukta. “From these fields we used to harvest around 1,500 kilos each of maize and wheat every year — enough to feed the family for months. But now we are left with neither the crop nor the stock.”

With nothing to fall back on and no money to buy food, he said, families are left waiting to see who will step forward with help.

Agricultural damages

According to data from the provincial agriculture department shared with Nukta, the recent floods damaged crops and orchards spread across 31,596 acres in 16 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The maize crop was hardest hit, with 25,136 acres destroyed. Rice losses were reported on 3,751 acres, vegetables on 1,127 acres and orchards on 1,319 acres. Analysts warn that the large-scale destruction of maize could disrupt both household food supplies and livestock fodder in the coming months.

Buner district bore the brunt of the damage, with 26,141 acres lost — more than 80 percent of the province’s total. Swat reported 3,750 acres damaged, Lower Dir 617 acres and Shangla 52 acres. Experts say the concentration of losses in Buner shows the vulnerability of farmland in flood-prone valleys of Pakistan’s mountainous northwest.

Flour prices double

In Peshawar, flour dealers say prices have nearly doubled in less than a month.

“A 20-kilo bag that sold for PKR 1,300 is now priced at PKR 2,200,” said Haji Rambeel, president of the flour dealers’ association. “Prices will rise further because families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost their wheat reserves, while Punjab has restricted supplies after its own floods.”

The provincial food department estimates that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produces 1.4 million metric tons of wheat annually — only a fraction of its 5.3 million metric ton requirement — making it heavily dependent on supplies from Punjab.

Political fallout

The crisis has spilled into politics. Shafi Jan, a provincial lawmaker, said checkpoints have been set up at Punjab’s entry points where trucks carrying wheat and flour bound for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are being stopped — a move he called unconstitutional.

“We have never blocked the supply of gas or electricity, so why is Punjab doing this?” he asked.

Zahir Shah Toru, the provincial food minister, said Punjab’s restrictions violate Article 151 of Pakistan’s constitution, which bars provinces from blocking inter-provincial trade.

“One flood has already caused massive destruction, and now Punjab has imposed a ban, further aggravating the crisis,” he told Nukta.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly also unanimously passed a resolution condemning Punjab’s decision to restrict wheat and flour shipments. Lawmakers warned the standoff could worsen shortages at a time when flood-hit families are already on the brink of hunger.