Govt Fixes Wheat Procurement Price at Rs. 3,500 Per 40 KG for 2025-26

The federal government has approved the Wheat Policy 2025-26, setting the official procurement price at Rs. 3,500 per 40 kilograms, as Pakistan seeks to balance farmer incomes with international market trends and food security concerns. The decision was made Sunday during a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad. The new policy, which aligns domestic wheat prices with global import rates, aims to ensure fair compensation for farmers while maintaining strategic reserves to stabilize national stocks. Under the policy, the inter-provincial movement of wheat will remain unrestricted, supporting nationwide availability. Oversight will be handled by a national committee led by the federal minister for national food security, with representatives from all provinces. The committee will meet weekly and report directly to the prime minister. The move comes amid mounting pressure from provincial governments and farmer groups, particularly in Sindh, where Agriculture Minister Muhammad Bux Khan Mahar has called for a higher support price of at least Rs. 4,200 per 40kg. Mahar warned that failure to offer a competitive price could prompt growers to abandon wheat in favor of more profitable crops, risking a potential food crisis. The Pakistan Peoples Party’s Central Executive Committee has also urged the federal government to expedite the announcement of a minimum support price. In a bid to support growers, the Sindh government has launched a Rs. 56 billion Wheat Cultivation Support Programme, offering subsidies of Rs. 24,700 per acre for fertilizer purchases to 411,000 small and medium-sized farmers. Over 132,000 farmers have registered for the scheme so far. Prime Minister Sharif said the policy was developed in consultation with provincial governments, farmer associations, and industry stakeholders, and pledged continued efforts to address the challenges facing the agriculture sector. Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi briefed the prime minister on the country’s law and order situation and ongoing development projects in Islamabad.