PBC Urges Govt to Immediately Restore Wheat Support Price to Protect Farmers

The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has urged the government to immediately reconsider its decision to abolish the wheat support price, warning of a looming crisis as the harvest season begins. PBF Chief Organizer Ahmed Jawad stated that the government rushed into a free market policy despite having another year to fulfill related IMF conditions. He criticized the absence of a comprehensive policy created in consultation with stakeholders, adding that last year’s poor import decisions already hurt wheat farmers and this year’s hasty approach may deepen their losses. Jawad noted that the average wheat price in Punjab’s grain markets is around Rs 2,500 per maund, while the cultivation cost is Rs. 3,200, leading to a consistent loss of Rs. 700 per maund for the past two years. He said this pricing gap is one of the reasons the wheat cultivation target was not met this season. The Forum stressed that wheat is central to a farmer’s financial cycle, and undermining it at the start would negatively impact other crops as well. It questioned the logic of abruptly ending a support price system that had been in place for over fifty years, warning that the middleman could reap huge profits if corrective measures are not taken. The PBF called for the wheat pricing issue to be brought before the Council of Common Interests and warned that if neglected, the government may be forced to import wheat again by December this year.