LAHORE: Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar has strongly rejected the Punjab government’s Rs15 billion wheat support package and instead sought a guaranteed rate to protect farmers from financial losses. Mr Khokhar expressed serious concerns over the current state of agriculture in the country, at a press conference in Multan on Sunday. “Farmers are not getting their due payment for the wheat crop. We don’t need charity; we need fair compensation,” he said. He warned if conditions remained the same, many farmers might not sow wheat next year. “Climate change has already caused losses worth billions to farmers,” he added, stating that cotton growers were also suffering. “Since Pakistan’s economy depends on agriculture, its food security is at stake,” he warned. He dismissed the subsidy as a joke and criticised the government for failing to address the issue. Mr Khokhar said farmers were encouraged to grow wheat at the time of sowing but now no one was listening them. He claimed benefits were being given to international farmers through imports, while local growers had been ignored. He urged the prime minister and the army chief to take immediate notice of the situation and support the farming community. He concluded by announcing a meeting in Lahore in the coming days to discuss a planned march by farmers. Under the Wheat Support Fund, 550,000 wheat farmers will be given direct financial support through the Kisan Card. The government also announced an exemption for wheat farmers from paying irrigation/fixed tax during the current year. Under the package, free storage Electronic Warehouse Receipt (EWR) facility will be provided for four months to protect wheat from climate change effects and farmers from market pressure. The farmers storing wheat under this system will get an electronic receipt. Within 24 hours, this receipt can be given to the bank to obtain a loan up to 70 per cent of the total cost (of wheat stored). Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2025