Nationwide Pakistan Farmers Protest Wheat Price Crisis
Small farmers across Pakistan staged a nationwide Pakistan farmers protest wheat price campaign on Sunday, demanding that the government guarantee a support price of PKR 5,000 per maund for wheat and end what they call corporate land grabbing, local media reported on Monday. The demonstrations were organised by the Pakistan Kissan Rabta Committee (PKRC), an alliance of 36 farmer organisations drawn from Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.
According to the leading Pakistani daily Dawn, the protests showcased a deepening rural crisis driven by soaring prices of fertilisers, diesel, electricity and seeds alongside non-viable crop returns. PKRC leaders warned that small landholders are being pushed to the brink of financial collapse, and vowed to continue the protest campaign unless their concerns are addressed through negotiations with the government.
PKRC Demands 2026: Rs5,000 Wheat, Rs700 Sugarcane
The PKRC demands 2026 charter sets an immediate support price of Rs5,000 per maund for wheat and Rs700 per 40kg for sugarcane. Crucially, the committee wants the wheat support price Pakistan guarantees to be announced before the sowing season begins, so growers can judge whether cultivation will remain economically viable before they commit their fields.
PKRC President Tariq Mahmood said growers invest heavily in seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and diesel throughout the farming cycle but face punishing uncertainty when it comes time to sell their crops. The committee says the Pakistan farmers protest wheat price campaign reflects years of frustration with deregulation that left growers exposed to market swings. General Secretary Riffat Maqsood raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the agricultural sector under current market conditions, while Federal Committee member Farooq Tariq argued that agricultural policies should be developed only after genuine consultation with farmers and other stakeholders.
Wheat Support Price Pakistan: Production Costs Outpace Returns
The urgency behind the Pakistan farmers protest wheat price drive is underlined by production-cost data reported by The Express Tribune: wheat cultivation now costs around PKR 3,761 per maund at the start of the Rabi season, while irrigation supplies are being squeezed by water shortages. With government wheat stocks under scrutiny and no settled indicative price in place, uncertainty around the crop is raising fresh questions about food insecurity in Pakistan.
Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich, the central information secretary of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Kisan Wing, said the government should take action to resolve these problems or risk a further deterioration of the agricultural crisis.
PASSCO Restoration and Procurement Guarantees Top the List
Beyond headline prices, the protesters are demanding a robust public procurement mechanism to protect growers from exploitation by middlemen and market cartels. The immediate PASSCO restoration — the revival of the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation as a government wheat purchaser alongside provincial food departments — is a core demand.
The PKRC has openly opposed private-sector procurement of wheat, insisting the state must guarantee farmers a market for their crop. Organisers of the Pakistan farmers protest wheat price campaign say guaranteed public procurement is non-negotiable for food security. It has also demanded greater government oversight of sugar mills to ensure growers receive timely payments for sugarcane, easier agricultural loans for small and medium-sized farmers, and proper representation of genuine farmer organisations in the formulation of future policies.
Corporate Land Grabbing Pakistan: Farmers Reject IMF-Style Deregulation
A defining theme of this Pakistan farmers protest wheat price movement is resistance to corporate land grabbing Pakistan and genetically modified (GM) crops. Protesters argued that national agricultural resources are being handed to commercial conglomerates instead of being secured for food production.
Demonstrators also opposed the economic policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank that promote market deregulation and the weakening of public agricultural institutions, Dawn reported. Farooq Tariq said the genuine path to national food security lies in agrarian reforms, land redistribution for landless peasants, transparent distribution of water and support for local seed sovereignty — not in giving agricultural resources to commercial conglomerates and expanding GM crops.
The PKRC has urged the government to open negotiations before the protest wave escalates further, warning that the Pakistan farmers protest wheat price movement will continue until a negotiated settlement is reached on pricing, procurement and land.
Sources: IANS / Dawn report on the nationwide farmers protests, Daily Metro Time report on PKRC demands and October 18 demonstrations.
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