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ECC Approves 100% Fresh Local Wheat for Pakistan Army Following Inmate Taste and Quality Complaints
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, has approved the supply of 100% fresh local wheat to the Pakistan Army, eliminating imported grain after quality complaints. The committee also approved a Rs4.188 billion severance package to wind down Passco and formally defined "forced labour" to meet ILO global trade requirements.
ND
by News Desk
2026-07-03
ECC Approves 100% Fresh Local Wheat for Pakistan Army Following Inmate Taste and Quality Complaints

Detailed Report

  • The Military Wheat Overhaul: In a major logistical shift, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved the allocation of 175,000 tonnes of 100 percent fresh indigenous wheat exclusively from the 2026–27 crop for the Pakistan Army. Chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday, July 2, 2026, the committee scrapped a previous four-year-old formula that supplied wheat to the armed forces on a 50:50 ratio of imported to local grain. The Ministry of Defence requested the change because the imported wheat negatively impacted the taste, appearance, and cooking quality of traditional flatbread (chappatis), leading to numerous complaints from troops deployed in harsh terrains from glaciers to deserts.

  • The Financial Impact: Previously, due to the poor quality of the state-supplied imported blend, the military had to independently procure local wheat through private firms to maintain troop morale. Shifting to an all-indigenous supply chain from fresh local crops will save the national exchequer approximately Rs2.8 billion in unnecessary import expenditures, according to data provided by the military's finance wing.

  • Defining Forced Labor: In compliance with international trade requirements, the ECC adopted a precise legal definition of forced or compulsory labor: "all works or services extracted from any person under the menace of any penalty for which the said person did not offer himself voluntarily." In accordance with standard global legal norms, this definition explicitly excludes compulsory military service, court-ordered hard labor, or emergency civic obligations required during national crises.

  • The Winding Down of PASSCO: Moving forward with institutional reforms, the ECC approved a substantial Rs4.188 billion severance package dedicated to the winding-up and restructuring of the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco). The employee compensation template directly mirrors the package recently given to the Utility Stores Corporation (USC). To clear out remaining liabilities, the committee also greenlit the public auction of 8,198 tonnes of old, flood-damaged Passco wheat via a transparent competitive bidding process verified by third-party validation.
Tagged:

#ECCPakistan #FinanceMinister #PakistanArmy #WheatPolicy #PasscoRestructuring #ILOOversight #PakistanTrade #BreakingNews
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