Punjab sets 3 million-tonne wheat procurement target as farmers protest low prices

LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Minister Ashiq Kirmani has announced that the province will procure three million tonnes of wheat this season, days before the new crop reaches the market.

Chairing a stakeholders’ consultation on wheat harvesting for the 2025-26 crop season in Lahore on Wednesday, the minister said estimates of wheat harvesting costs had been finalised for each district through coordination between the agriculture department and service providers. He said service providers must not charge farmers more than the prescribed rates, adding that the procurement target for the current year had been fixed at three million tonnes.

Kirmani said formal wheat procurement in Punjab would begin on April 15 and that all procurement centres would be fully operational and ready to facilitate growers.

The meeting was attended by MPAs Rana Muhammad Saleem and Chaudhry Muhammad Javed, representatives of farmers’ organisations including Khalid Mehmood Khokhar, Chaudhry Khalid Bath, Sardar Zafar Hussain Khan, Muhammad Afaq Tiwana, Chaudhry Shaukat Ali Chadhar, Munir Shaheen, Rana Muhammad Iftikhar, Chaudhry Maqsood Ahmad Jatt, Jameel Nisar Chaudhry, Tahir Razzaq Gujjar, Mehmoodul Haq Bukhari and Jameelur Rehman Buzdar, along with harvester owners and service providers.

Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo told the meeting that initial estimates pointed to a bumper wheat crop this year. He said that in light of the prevailing weather conditions, growers were being given comprehensive guidance for timely and safe wheat harvesting. He added that technical assistance was being provided at all stages to help farmers improve crop management and protect output.

Farmers raise concerns over prices and harvesting costs

At the same time, farmers voiced concern over wheat prices and harvesting charges. Chaudhry Shaukat Ali Chadhar, a leader of Kisan Board Pakistan, said the government had not accepted growers’ demand for an indicative wheat rate based on production costs.

According to Chadhar, the average production cost stood at Rs4,750 per maund on the basis of an average yield of 35 maunds per acre. He said the market price of wheat had meanwhile fallen by Rs600 to Rs3,300 per maund, despite the government’s declaration that at least three million tonnes of wheat would be procured through the private sector this season.

He also said the government had declined to fix harvester rental rates and had instead left them to market forces. He said the cost of farm inputs, including labour, had increased because of high petroleum prices.

The developments come as Punjab prepares to start procurement operations for the new wheat season from mid-April, with the provincial government projecting a strong crop while farmers continue to press for pricing and cost-related relief.