LAHORE: The Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) has concluded its 4th Federal Congress in Lahore, electing new leadership and announcing nationwide mobilisation against corporate farming, land grabbing, and the deepening agrarian crisis.

The two-day Congress, held on Jan 3-4, was attended by around 170 delegates representing 35 farmers’ and rural workers’ organisations from across Pakistan.

Participants reviewed the country’s political, economic, agrarian, and environmental challenges, blaming IMF-driven neoliberal policies for rising input costs, falling farm incomes, and increased pressure on small farmers and tenants.

Delegates strongly criticised the expansion of corporate farming and land acquisition under initiatives such as the Green Pakistan Initiative, warning that these projects are displacing farmers and privatising land and water resources, particularly in Punjab and Sindh. Climate-related issues, including floods, water scarcity, and soil degradation, were also discussed, with speakers noting that rural communities are suffering the most.

PKI announces protest outside Punjab Assembly on 26th

The Congress approved PKRC’s manifesto and constitution and elected a new federal leadership. Tariq Mahmood was elected President, Riffat Maqsood as General Secretary, Qamar Abbas as Joint Secretary, and Husnain Jameel Faridi as Information Secretary, along with four provincial vice presidents.

The Congress announced countrywide protests on March 28, against corporate farming, land grabbing, unfair crop prices, lack of a guaranteed minimum support price, and deregulated agricultural markets. It also declared that PKRC’s Punjab Provincial Congress will be held on April 17, 2026, coinciding with the International Day of Peasant Struggles.

PKRC reaffirmed its commitment to a united, peasant-led movement based on food sovereignty, equitable land distribution, and the rights of farmers and rural workers across Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Central President of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, has announced a protest outside the Punjab Assembly on Jan 26 if the farmers’ demands are not accepted.

Addressing a press conference in Multan, he said the protest was initially announced for Jan 5 in Lahore, but it was postponed until Jan 26 at the government’s request.

Khokhar stated that a charter of demands would be presented to the government, which also includes the demand for declaring an agricultural emergency in the country. He clarified that the farmers wanted improvement in the agriculture sector and that protest is not their choice but a compulsion.

He highlighted that potato and kinnow growers are unable to recover even their production costs. A 120-kg bag of new potato crop, which should have sold for Rs8,000 as per past trends, is currently being sold for only Rs1,800. He said it is the government’s responsibility to think about farmers and urged the government to either export potatoes or purchase them directly from growers.

The Kissan Ittehad leader said that no one is more patriotic than a farmer, but growers are currently facing severe losses. He demanded that the government compensate farmers for their losses and fix support prices for all crops at least one year before sowing.

Khokhar further said that agriculture cannot survive without cotton and called for practical measures to reduce production costs. He also demanded the introduction of a crop insurance system in case of losses and the fixation of the official wheat price at Rs4,000 per maund.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2026