Kissan Ittehad, a group representing farmers, announced on Sunday that they will start nationwide protests from May 10. This comes after the government failed to buy wheat from farmers as promised.
Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, the chairman of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad, spoke at a press conference in Multan. He said that farmers are struggling because the government has not been buying their wheat. This has forced them to take to the streets to demand action.
Khokhar shared the plan for the protests. He said they would start with symbolic funeral prayers for the loss of agriculture. After that, farmers will march to Lahore, gathering others from all over the country. They will bring tractors and livestock to show how serious this issue is.
He explained that farmers have lost a lot of money because of low wheat prices. The total loss, he said, is about Rs. 400 billion. Khokhar criticized the government for buying wheat from importers instead of supporting local farmers.
Khokhar also said that the country’s foreign exchange has suffered because of this, losing about $1 billion. The high cost of urea fertilizer makes things worse, with farmers paying too much or turning to the black market for what they need.
He blamed the government for neglecting farmers, saying that those responsible for the crisis should be held accountable. The problem, he said, is due to bad policies and a lack of support for the agricultural sector.
Khokhar also pointed out that there is a huge difference between what it costs to grow wheat and what farmers can sell it for. This has hurt farmers and their families. He noted that even though farmers play a big role in feeding the nation, they are often ignored and left without support.
Khokhar criticized policymakers for not helping agriculture grow. He mentioned that the difference between the cost of growing wheat and the price it sells for has been a problem for years, and nothing has been done to fix it.
