SAHIWAL: Major farmers’ organisations reject recently-announced Rs15 billion ‘Kisan Package’ by the chief minister.

They argue that farmers do not need loan schemes and plastic cards but rather a fair support price for wheat and other agriculture products, a clear procurement target, reduction in costs for agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, seeds and pesticides, and a flat electricity rate for agricultural tubewells.

Critics claim the package primarily benefits flour mill owners, middlemen, stockists, warehouse owners, commission agents but does not address the hardships faced by farmers Pakistan Kisan Ittehad (Khalid Mahmood Khokhar group) and Kisan Ittehad (Khalid Bath group) have completely rejected the initiative.

Speaking to Dawn by phone, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar said “what we need is a fair rate for our produce, along with a 25pc profit margin.”

He said agricultural experts calculate per-acre cost of wheat and other agriculture products and set a support price for each crop by including a 25pc profit margin for farmers. He said there are 5.5 million farmers in Punjab and under the Rs 15 billion each will get only a few thousands rupees.

He said a fair support price will directly benefit farmers and strengthen the agricultural sector, ensuring financial stability for those who cultivate the land. “However, the Punjab government’s announcement of a 25pc storage facility effectively legitimises stockists who buy crops at lower rates, store them in warehouses, and later sell them at inflated prices for maximum profit.”

He said ordinary farmers lack financial capacity to hold their crops for extended periods but capitalists can afford to do so. “Unfortunately, storage resources remain in the hands of feudal landlords, capitalists and industrialists.”

Chaudhry Rizwan, provincial head of PKI, says 100pc markup policy favors flour mill owners and large brokers. “The newly-introduced Electronic Warehouse Receipt (EWR) system will primarily serve middlemen, who already dominate the market, working against farmers’ interests instead of supporting them.”

Khalid Bath criticised the policy-making process, questioning how agricultural policies could be worked out without involving farmers’ organisations. “Not a single farmers’ organisation or other stakeholders were consulted while framing the agriculture package,” he said.

Farooq Tariq, Chairman of the Kisan Rabta Committee — an umbrella organisation representing 36 farmers’ groups across Pakistan — also rejected the package. He alleged that the government is paving the way for corporate farming by marginalising farmers.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2025