Brief
PKI president urges immediate wheat support price announcement
PKI president Khalid Mehmood Khokhar pressed the government to set a wheat support price without delay, warning of crop shifts and food insecurity.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) President Khalid Mehmood Khokhar urged the government on Sunday to announce a wheat support price immediately, saying farmers need certainty to plan their next crops.
He told a press conference that growers work year‑round, face high production costs, and are not receiving adequate returns. Khokhar said a fair price would keep wheat cultivation, reduce imports and enable exports.
Referencing a World Bank report, he highlighted widespread economic difficulty and food insecurity, adding that expensive fertilizer, high electricity bills and out‑of‑school children worsen rural hardship.
Khokhar noted that uncertainty over wheat rates has pushed some farmers toward sugarcane, raising Punjab’s sugarcane area by 16 percent to 2.454 million acres, and suggested exporting surplus sugar while international prices are favourable.
He called for modern irrigation, more research investment, new water storage to address a 25 percent water shortage, and a marketing system that informs growers of crop prices in advance.
Key facts
- PKI President Khalid Mehmood Khokhar urged immediate wheat support price announcement (dailytimes.com.pk)
- He said uncertainty has led farmers to shift to sugarcane, increasing Punjab's sugarcane area by 16% to 2.454 million acres (dailytimes.com.pk)
- Khokhar cited a World Bank report on economic difficulty and food insecurity (dailytimes.com.pk)
Sources
- [1] dailytimes.com.pk — originally reported as “Kissan Ittehad urges govt to announce wheat support price without delay”
