Punjab farmers say no to govt wheat offer

The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI), a leading farmers’ body, strongly rejected the Punjab provincial government’s recently announced Rs15 billion ($17,609) wheat support package, terming it insufficient and ill-conceived.

In a press conference held in Multan, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Council (PKIC) President Khalid Mehmood Khokhar strongly criticized the Punjab government’s Rs15 billion wheat relief package. He said that farmers do not want charity but fair compensation for their hard work and rising losses.

Khokhar expressed disappointment over the government’s response and warned that farmers might avoid planting wheat in the next season if urgent action is not taken. He noted that while Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz requested farmers to grow wheat, their current issues are being ignored.

The announced package includes direct financial aid through the Kisan Card, free storage for four months under the Electronic Warehouse Receipt (EWR) system, and a waiver on irrigation tax. However, Khokhar rejected these measures, calling them unrealistic and inadequate. He claimed that small farmers will get only a few thousand rupees, which is of no real help.

Other farmer representatives echoed his views. PKI’s Chaudhry Rizwan said that the EWR system will mostly benefit large brokers and wheat traders. He said regular farmers do not have enough resources to store their produce and wait for better prices.

Khokhar also raised concerns about the growing stress and mental health issues faced by farmers due to government negligence. He stressed that food security for the country’s 250 million people is at stake and urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir to take serious notice of the situation and act immediately to protect agriculture and farmers’ livelihoods.