MULTAN: Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar has called for the imposition of an agricultural emergency in the country, saying delayed government decisions are causing repeated losses to farmers, ARY News reported.
Addressing a press conference in Multan, Khokhar said a loss in one crop affects the next three crops. He added that Pakistan was continuously falling behind in the agriculture sector and urged the government to take timely decisions.
He demanded a 25 per cent profit margin on production costs for farmers. He said farmers were not receiving fair prices for their crops because the government cited conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Khokhar said people were struggling to obtain wheat and argued that farmers would cultivate more wheat if they received a fair price. He noted that the government had fixed the wheat price at Rs4,500 per maund.
The Kissan Ittehad president also said sugarcane growers had yet to receive an adequate price for their crop despite a 16 per cent increase in sugarcane production this year. He said sugarcane cultivation had reached an unprecedented level in the country’s history, leaving growers worried about their financial returns.
Khokhar recalled that sugarcane growers were exploited in 2017 when the government delayed sugar exports. He said the decision to export sugar came only after farmers had suffered financial losses.
He criticised the politicisation of agriculture in Pakistan, saying the sector needed timely decisions and consistent policies.
Khokhar said food security had become a top priority worldwide, while Pakistani leaders continued to politicise wheat and flour. He added that other countries were providing substantial subsidies to their agriculture sectors, while Pakistani farmers were struggling with rising production costs and inadequate crop prices.