LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought an estimate of per-acre wheat production cost from the Punjab Agriculture Department.

Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmad was hearing a petition filed by Sardar Zafar Hussain Khan of the Pakistan Kissan Board challenging the government’s failure to fix the official wheat price.

The judge directed the agriculture department to submit estimates of the cost of the wheat production for both the current and previous year.

The petitioner submitted that 70 per cent of the country’s population was linked to agriculture making the sector’s development crucial for national food security. He stated that last year, wheat was procured at Rs4,000 per 40kg in selected areas but due to delays in the government’s policy this year, wheat was being sold in the open market for as low as Rs2,200 per 40kg.

As a result, he said, the farmers were suffering losses because their cost of production was higher than the market price.

The petitioner asked the court to direct the government to immediately fix the wheat support price.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2025