LAHORE, Apr 21 – Farmers in Punjab are gearing up for province-wide protests on April 25 over low wheat procurement targets and grain support prices.
Sardar Zafar Hussain, president of the Kisan Board Pakistan, announced the demonstrations, demanding the government procure at least five million tonnes of wheat and raise the grain support price from Rs3,900 to Rs5,000 per 40kg.
Accompanied by Akhtar Farooq Meo and Mian Rashid Minhala, Hussain accused the government of intentionally delaying the wheat procurement campaign, causing grain prices in the open market to plummet.
He urged the government to raise the official support price to Rs5,000 per 40kg and increase the procurement target from 2 million tonnes to 5 million tonnes to stabilize the local market.
Hussain lamented that while farm input prices had doubled in the last year, farmers were forced to sell their produce at rates from the previous year or even lower.
He further claimed that fertilizer companies had hiked urea rates by Rs600 per bag just four days ago, despite no new taxes being imposed on fertilizer ingredients or companies.
