ISLAMABAD: Floods, heat waves and changing weather patterns have adversely affected wheat production in Pakistan and the target initially fixed could not be achieved this year.

This was stated by Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research on Thursday. The meeting of the committee was presided over by Senator Masroor Ahsan.

The minister said wheat production target had initially been fixed at 30 million tonnes, but the estimates had subsequently been revised downward owing to climatic impacts.

He said farmers’ organisations had demanded a wheat support price of Rs3,200 per maund, while the government fixed the price at Rs3,500. According to the minister, the production cost of wheat currently stands at approximately Rs2,600 per maund.

Floods, heat waves and changing weather patterns have adversely affected production, Rana Tanveer tells Senate committee

The minister said provinces had failed to evolve consensus on wheat procurement targets, adding that the Sindh government had announced procurement of only 100,000 tons of wheat. “The provinces are not cooperating in the agricultural sector and problems have increased after devolution,” he stated.

He added that effective cooperation between the federation and provinces was indispensable for overcoming agricultural challenges and ensuring food security. The committee was also informed about consultations with provinces regarding the national seed policy. “After passage of the budget, a policy will be brought through consensus,” he stated.

He said Pakistan currently spends only 0.02 per cent of GDP on agricultural research, whereas India allocates 0.4 per cent of GDP to the sector.

The minister stated that the prime minister had approved wide-ranging recommendations for agricultural reforms and research enhancement.

He said reforms were being implemented in agricultural research institutions, including the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (Parc), while efforts were underway to improve coordination between federal and provincial institutions.

“If money is not invested in agricultural research, desired results cannot be achieved,” the minister stated.

Parc is being transformed into a modern centre of excellence with special emphasis on research, technology and modern seed development. He added that banks had been directed to increase lending facilities for the agricultural sector and that financial institutions were being mobilised to support agricultural mechanisation and farmers’ welfare.

During the meeting, Senator Shahadat Awan observed that farmers in villages primarily evaluate agricultural success through profit earned per acre and stressed the need for a realistic comparison between production costs and farmer income.

“There is a clear difference between Pakistan’s agricultural production and its actual potential,” Senator Awan remarked, adding that if the productive capacity of agricultural land was significantly higher, the causes behind declining output must be transparently identified.

He again questioned the ministry regarding the actual productive capacity of Pakistan’s agricultural land.

“If the land can produce 40 tonnes, why are only 10 tonnes being produced?” he asked, adding farmers must be provided quality seeds, water and fertilizers.

Senator Abid Sher Ali voiced serious reservations regarding the deteriorating condition of farmers and the cotton sector, warning that rising input costs and flawed import policies had devastated cotton growers.

“Pakistan has turned from a cotton exporting country into a cotton importer,” he stated. He informed the committee that the traditional cotton belt stretching from Faisalabad to Sadiqabad was rapidly shrinking, while several factories had shut down and the cotton sector was nearing collapse.

He alleged that sugarcane cultivation was replacing cotton due to the influence of sugar mills and claimed that farmers were being exploited for the benefit of a few influential mafias.

“Imported cotton is enjoying zero tax while taxes are imposed on local cotton,” he remarked, demanding the establishment of an effective agricultural coordination mechanism between the federation and provinces.

The minister admitted that weak implementation of zoning plans by provinces and expansion of sugarcane cultivation had adversely affected cotton-producing areas.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2026