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.

Chaudhry Rizwan, provincial head of PKI, says 100pc markup policy favors flour mill owners and large brokers.

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.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2025