Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sought details to shortage of wheat in Punjab after Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s letter requesting the premier to permit the procurement of one million metric tonnes of wheat on an emergency basis, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.

According to official sources, the Punjab Food Department had informed the chief minister about the rapid decrease in the stock of wheat in the province after which he wrote a letter to the prime minister.

The letter, sent to the prime minister, stated that the wheat stock was decreasing due to the subsidy on flour.

“If the process of procurement is not started now, the wheat supply in Punjab will further decrease till February, and the flour prices will also go up,” it added.

The letter also demanded that the federal government direct the Ministry of Food to release 300,000 metric tonnes of wheat on an emergency basis.