Punjab farmers’ union Kisan Ittehad has warned of strong protests across the province after Eid-ul-Fitr, slamming the government for maintaining a low support price for wheat. Kisan Ittehad Chairman Chaudhry Khalid Hussain Bath criticized the government’s decision to keep the wheat support price at Rs 3,900 per maund, terming it insufficient. He pointed out that the price remained unchanged from last year, despite a significant rise in production costs.
Bath highlighted the doubling of prices for agricultural essentials like fertilizer, electricity, and diesel. He argued that the government should have increased the support price proportionally to inflation to ensure fair compensation for farmers. The Kisan Ittehad leader expressed disappointment with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, accusing her of failing to fulfill her promises to support farmers. He called the current policy “anti-farmer” and demanded an immediate revision of the wheat support price to at least Rs 5,000 per maund.
Bath further pointed out the disparity with neighboring Sindh province, which had set a higher support price of Rs 4,600 per maund for wheat. He vowed that Punjab farmers would hold strong protests after Eid to demand a fairer deal from the government. It was worth mentioned here that Punjab government has approved Wheat Procurement Policy 2024-25 under which the provincial cabinet fixed the minimum support price of wheat for the year 2023-2024 at Rs 3,900 per 40 kilogram. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired the fifth meeting of the provincial cabinet at the CM’s office on Wednesday. —INP
