The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research on Monday raised alarm over a deepening potato glut, warning that structural weaknesses in crop planning and market forecasting are pushing farmers into repeated financial distress.
The committee, which met at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Syed Tariq Hussain, took up a Point of Order regarding the ongoing potato crisis and was informed that a high-level committee had been constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on February 18, 2026.
The body, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, is tasked with devising a coordinated and time-bound response.
Members were briefed that Pakistan’s potato production this year has surged to around 12 million metric tons, compared to the usual 8-10 million metric tons, resulting in a surplus of nearly 4 million metric tons.
The oversupply has depressed market prices, triggering distress sales during the peak harvest months of February and March.
Officials said Central Asia, accessible via Afghanistan, offers the most viable export market with an estimated annual potential of one million metric tons.
However, around three million metric tons are unlikely to find external markets due to limited global demand, high freight costs, border constraints, insufficient cold storage and warehousing, and weak value-addition capacity.
The committee was told that shipments via the Taftan border with Iran take around 23 days, significantly increasing transportation costs and the risk of spoilage.
The China route, though shorter at about 15 days, remains constrained by visa restrictions, as exporters are issued single-entry visas instead of the multiple-entry permits required for sustained trade.
Expressing concern over recurring agricultural crises, members noted that rice, wheat and sugarcane sectors had faced similar disruptions in recent years.
They termed the potato glut a symptom of deeper systemic issues, including weak coordination among federal and provincial authorities, inadequate production forecasting, and poor market intelligence.
The committee recommended that provincial governments procure surplus potatoes for cold storage and release stocks later to stabilize domestic prices or export when feasible.
As an alternative, it proposed a wheat-support-style model under which private banks would extend loans for cold storage of excess produce, with the government bearing the markup to ease the burden on farmers.
The Ministry of National Food Security and Research is also scheduled to meet the National Logistics Corporation (NLC) this week to address procurement and logistics bottlenecks.
Separately, the committee approved Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects for 2026-27 worth Rs16.94 billion, including Rs4.05 billion in foreign grants.
The projects focus on olive value chain development, digital and precision agriculture at NARC, seed potato production, oilseed crop diversification, camel milk processing, climate-resilient livestock development, cotton promotion in Balochistan, and establishment of a research centre in Khairpur, Sindh.
The committee emphasized that without timely crop planning, improved storage infrastructure, export facilitation and value addition, farmers would continue to face cyclical price crashes despite bumper harvests.
