KBP demands five-year ‘National Agricultural Policy’
LAHORE: The Kissan Board Pakistan (KBP) has called for the announcement of a five-year National Agricultural Policy in consultation with farmers and announcement of crop prices at least two months before sowing after calculating production cost and adding a guaranteed 25 per cent return for farmers.
It emphasized that nearly 70 to 80 percent of farming activities in Pakistan are carried out under tenancy and contract farming arrangements, yet no formal policy framework exists for contractors who are key stakeholders in the agricultural economy. The organization demanded that such farmers be included in all government incentives and support programmes.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, KBP President Sardar Zafar Hussain Khan submitting proposals for the coming budget suggested that import; export, subsidy and marketing policies should also be announced in advance to enable growers to make informed decisions regarding crop selection and investment.
The Board also called for accountability of district administrations and market committees if post-harvest market failures result in losses for farmers due to uncontrolled price fluctuations.
The Board proposed that electricity tariffs for agricultural tube wells be fixed at Rs10 per unit for the next five years. It also sought the abolition of taxes on tractors, agricultural machinery and key farm inputs, while demanding that prices of seeds, DAP, urea and nitrophos fertilizers be frozen for five years.
In addition, it called for the complete removal of taxes and duties on solar panels, inverters and related equipment used for agricultural tube wells to facilitate low-cost irrigation through solar energy. The organization further demanded a moratorium on new taxes on the agriculture sector for at least five years.
To reduce production costs, the Board urged the government to abolish the petroleum levy on diesel used for agricultural purposes, arguing that lower fuel costs would reduce expenses related to cultivation, irrigation, harvesting and transportation.
It also recommended reductions in duties and taxes on agricultural machinery, greater local availability of modern farm equipment and the implementation of a result-oriented 10-year agricultural research plan focused on practical outcomes.
The organization further called for the provision of interest-free agricultural loans through a simplified, transparent and farmer-friendly credit system.
The KBP leadership also advocated for a direct linkage between farmers and buyers, greater transparency in wholesale markets, legalization and regulation of intermediaries through a fair commission structure, and strict action against exploitative practices.
The Board proposed that at least 10 percent of GDP be allocated to agricultural revival initiatives. It suggested that the dedicated funding should be used to reduce the prices of essential agricultural inputs, including seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, by 50 percent, while cushioning farmers from sudden increases in electricity, diesel, fertilizer and pesticide prices. “We are not asking the government for charity; we are asking for policy,” said Sardar Zafar Hussain Khan and other leadership of the Kissan Board Pakistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026