Sindh’s Rs 193 Billion wheat rotting in warehouses as hunger soars

Over 13.7 million sacks of wheat are rotting in Sindh’s government warehouses, once meant to ensure affordable flour, now unfit for consumption.

Despite expert warnings and surplus stocks, the Sindh government bought 9 million more sacks in 2024, pushing public debt to Rs 181 billion.

Monthly costs for interest and storage alone total Rs 2.43 billion, and selling the stock now would mean a loss of over Rs 80 billion. Meanwhile, Sindh remains the most food-insecure province in Pakistan, with child stunting, underweight, and wasting rates far exceeding WHO emergency thresholds.

In this Nukta exclusive, Special Correspondent Akhtiar Khokhar investigates the deadly intersection of financial mismanagement and hunger.