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From the harvest of the previous wheat crop in March–April 2025 to the sowing of the current one in November 2025, key office bearers of Pakistan’s major farmers’ associations consistently criticised the government’s wheat policy.
Their criticism, through press conferences, television talk shows, and public forums, centred particularly on two major policy shifts in the wheat sector: the withdrawal of the wheat support price, and the abolition of the decades-old practice of direct procurement from farmers. They warned that farmers were likely to reduce the wheat-sown area in the upcoming season in protest, as most had received prices ranging between Rs1,800 and 2,200 per 40kg — far less than their production costs and the import parity price.
Several independent experts also predicted a decline in wheat acreage, particularly in Punjab, where the government imposed district-specific wheat ceiling prices of around Rs2,800 per 40kg once prices began to rebound after a period of oversupply during harvest season. This artificial price suppression through administrative measures — quite contrary to the principles of deregulation and free market economy — hurts farmers who managed to hold their stocks for better prices.
