Kisan Board Pakistan Files Petition in Lahore High Court for Determination of Wheat Price
Wheat price reduction caused severe financial losses to farmers last year – Sardar Zafar Hussain
FAYSAL ABAD ( Web News)
Kisan Board Pakistan’s central president, Sardar Zafar Hussain, has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court for the determination of wheat prices. Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza will hear the case on March 12.
In his statement, Sardar Zafar Hussain expressed concern that farmers are in distress due to the lack of a fixed wheat price, which is why he has appealed to the honorable court to issue an order for its determination.
He stated that due to the incompetence of the previous provincial government, farmers have cultivated significantly less wheat this year. As a result, the wheat production target has fallen below 65%. The government must ensure that farmers receive a fair production cost for their wheat. If farmers refrain from cultivating major crops such as wheat, cotton, and rice, the country could face a severe food crisis and may have to import wheat.
He further added that the reduction in wheat prices last year caused substantial financial losses to farmers, as all necessary inputs for wheat cultivation have become extremely expensive. These include fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, diesel, and tractors.
For example, a pesticide bottle that previously cost PKR 300 has now surged to PKR 1,700. Two years ago, a bag of urea fertilizer was priced at PKR 2,000, but today it has risen to PKR 5,500. Similarly, diesel has reached PKR 300 per liter, while the costs of other essential agricultural inputs have increased by up to 600%.
Despite these rising costs, the government has not compensated farmers adequately for their investments in crop production. Instead, by further reducing wheat prices, farmers have been economically devastated.