LAHORE: Pakistan Kisan Ittehad (PKI) President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar has warned of an impending wheat crisis in the country as the farmers are not ready to take risk of sowing the grain after they failed to get due prices of almost all the crops they had sown last season.

Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, he apprehended that wheat cultivation might see a big decline this sowing season starting in November because of the government’s policy of ‘partially’ deregulating the wheat sector, only deregulating minimum price of grain, while maintaining its control on import and export of wheat and its products.

He claimed that wheat growers suffered Rs2,200 billion losses during the last two seasons, while their maize, rice and cotton crops could also not get their dues rates in the market. This has left the growers with little resources to sow the wheat crop, he said, cautioning that even the fields would give a below-average production because farmers could not purchase urea and other fertilisers.

He said that 1.3 million tonnes of urea fertilizer, mostly used for wheat crop, remained unsold this year, unlike the past year when the government had to import 200,000 tonnes.

Organisation launches drive for self-reliant farming in Sahiwal

Khokhar demanded that the government set up a price commission like other countries for determining the prices of all crops and establishing an independent import and export authority for deciding which crop is to be imported or exported and when, to save the farmers from the “jolts” caused by the authorities’ decisions, which, he alleged, are influence by the profiteers and capitalists.

The PKI head emphasised that food security is paramount to a nation’s economy and defence. He reiterated that while schemes like the Kisan Card offered temporary relief, the core problem lies in the inability of farmers to secure reasonable rates for their crops in the market. This, he said, plunged the agricultural sector into a severe crisis, leading to an extraordinary decline in agricultural exports.

He claimed that the agriculture sector has suffered a staggering loss of $1 billion in exports during the first six months of 2025 compared to 2024. This sharp decline, which includes a 70pc drop in maize exports, 69pc in bananas, 40pc in mangoes, and 31pc in onions and garlic, has resulted in a collective loss of Rs1,264 billion to farmers, with rice and maize alone accounting for Rs1,000bn, he added.

Khokhar attributed these losses to a sharp decline in commodity prices, with wheat, maize, and cotton prices plummeting, severely eroding farmers’ income and purchasing power.

To mitigate the crisis, the PKI chief demanded increased investment in agricultural research and development, seed technology and price stabilisation measures for key crops through an independent “commodity price and export commission”.

He also called for the regulation of input costs, import substitutes and nutrient-based subsidies on phosphatic and potassic fertilisers.

SAHIWAL: The Pakistan Kisan Ittehad (PKI) district chapter has launched a door-to-door campaign in Pakpattan, urging wheat growers to prioritise cultivation of the grain for their personal consumption, rather than commercial purpose.

The initiative, titled “Sadi Fasal – Sadi Marzi” (our crop, our choice), aims to empower small-scale farmers to reclaim autonomy over their agricultural decisions.

Announced by PKI’s provincial president Chaudhry Rizwan, the campaign was formally inaugurated during a district-level convention held at a private marquee in Pakpattan city. Addressing the gathering, speakers demanded that the Punjab government to set a minimum wheat support price of Rs4,500 per maund to ensure a fair compensation for the growers.

Mr Rizwan criticised both the government and the open market for exploiting the wheat growers, saying the only solution is that the farmers should grow wheat for their own households and not for the market.

The campaign challenges market-driven pressures and calls for a shift toward self-reliant farming.

The PKI warned that if the government support remains absent, the campaign would expand across all districts of Punjab, encouraging the growers to cultivate wheat solely for their household use.

Mr Rizwan pledged to take the drive to all 44,000 villages across the province, reinforcing PKI’s commitment to farmer rights and sustainable agriculture.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025