THE federal government’s announcement of the wheat policy for the 2025-26 season is a much-needed and timely intervention, one that is likely to restore the confidence of farmers after a difficult and demoralizing year.
The policy, approved after broad consultation with provincial governments and key stakeholders, rightly removes inter-provincial barriers on wheat movement and sets a clear procurement price. These measures are important for ensuring national food security and protecting the livelihoods of millions of wheat growers across the country.
Last year, the government failed to announce a support price. Many sold their harvests at rates significantly lower than in previous years, even below their cost of production. This lack of price protection not only caused economic hardship for farmers but also sowed seeds of mistrust in the system. In that context, this year’s announcement made ahead of the sowing season is both a corrective and a confidence-building measure. Setting the wheat support price at Rs3,500 per forty kilogram, aligned with international import parity, offers a fair return to farmers while maintaining market competitiveness. It sends a strong and positive message that the government is now serious about stabilizing the wheat economy. However, pricing alone cannot address the deeper structural challenges faced by growers, especially small and marginal farmers. The high cost of agricultural inputs including seeds, fertilizer pesticides and petroleum products continues to weigh heavily on farmers’ ability to sow and cultivate at optimal levels. Many small farmers, lacking access to affordable are unable to cultivate all their land or are forced to switch to less input-intensive crops with lower returns. If the government truly wishes to promote wheat cultivation and ensure national food security, it must urgently provide direct incentives such as reduced input costs, easy access to farm credit and mechanization support especially targeted at small and resource-poor farmers. While there should be no restriction on the inter-provincial movement of wheat, it must be accompanied by robust enforcement to prevent its smuggling across international borders. It is imperative that relevant authorities strengthen border surveillance, impose strict penalties on violators and build inter-agency coordination to track and stop illegal flows of the commodity.
