LAHORE: Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar has urged the federal government to declare an agricultural emergency and introduce an effective wheat procurement and marketing mechanism, saying that fixing the wheat price at a viable level could help revive the entire agriculture sector and improve the national economy.
Welcoming the proposed wheat price of Rs4,500 per 40kg, Khokhar said farmers had been suffering losses in wheat cultivation for the past three years while the recent price proposal had provided them with a ray of hope.
He said the wheat price should reflect the actual cost of production, adding that a reasonable support price would also improve the financial position of growers cultivating sugarcane, potatoes, rice and peas.
“We are grateful to the prime minister for considering a reasonable wheat price. This will not only benefit farmers but also help strengthen Pakistan’s economy,” he said while addressing a press conference here on Wednesday.
Khokhar warned that climate change, floods, droughts and changing rainfall patterns were likely to create serious challenges for global agriculture, potentially affecting the availability of wheat in international markets next year. He urged the government to build strategic wheat stocks and ensure procurement directly from farmers to safeguard national food security.
He also appealed to the Punjab chief minister to introduce a clear mechanism for wheat sales, saying that an effective marketing system was essential to protect growers from market volatility and ensure fair returns on their produce.
Referring to the declining use of agricultural inputs, Khokhar said DAP fertiliser consumption in Pakistan had fallen from 2.3 million tonnes to 1.2 million tonnes, reflecting the financial difficulties faced by farmers.
He noted that growers who had sold wheat at around Rs 3,500 per 40kg were now witnessing market prices exceeding Rs5,000, highlighting the need for a stable and transparent pricing policy.
He claimed agriculture was a subsidised sector across the world, but Pakistan continued to face major challenges despite being an agrarian economy. The country was importing edible oil, wheat, cotton and pulses, exposing weaknesses in domestic production and agricultural planning.
Khokhar pointed out that Pakistan allocated only 0.18 percent of its relevant budget to agricultural research, compared with 1.16 percent in Brazil, and called for increased investment in research, modern technology and climate-resilient farming.
He expressed concern over the decline in Pakistan’s cotton production, saying it had dropped from less than 14 million bales to around five million bales, while India’s output had risen to approximately 50 million bales.
He said the government should prioritise agriculture in its economic agenda, adding that stronger agricultural production would improve economic stability, food security and law and order.
Khokhar urged the government to declare 2026-27 the Year of Agriculture and take coordinated measures to strengthen farmers, improve productivity and reduce the country’s dependence on imported agricultural commodities.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026