Pakistan Kissan Ittehad president Khalid Mahmood Khokhar has called for an agricultural emergency to be imposed across the country. He said delayed government decisions were causing farmers to suffer repeated losses.
Speaking at a media briefing in Multan, Khokhar warned that a setback in one crop hits the three harvests that follow. He said Pakistan was steadily losing ground in farming and urged the government to act promptly.
Demands for fair prices and profit margins
Khokhar asked for a 25 per cent profit margin on production costs. He said growers were not getting fair rates because the government had pointed to conditions set by the International Monetary Fund.
He argued that people were finding it hard to get wheat, and that farmers would grow more of it if they were paid a reasonable price. He noted that the government had fixed the wheat price at Rs4,500 per maund.
Sugarcane growers, he said, still have not received an adequate price, even though output rose 16 per cent this year. He described cane cultivation as having reached an unprecedented level in the country’s history, leaving growers anxious about their returns.
Past sugar export delays and politicised farming
Khokhar recalled that cane growers suffered in 2017, when the government delayed sugar exports. The export decision, he said, came only after farmers had already taken losses.
He criticised the politicisation of agriculture, arguing that the sector needs timely decisions and steady policies. He added that food security has become a global priority, while Pakistani leaders keep politicising wheat and flour.
He also said other countries give substantial subsidies to their farm sectors, whereas Pakistani farmers face rising production costs and weak crop prices.
