MKL slams Wheat Imports Despite Adequate Local Stocks, seeks Rs4,500 Support Price

LAHORE: Markazi Kisan League (MKL) Chairman Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali Olakh and President Ashfaq Virk have criticised the government’s decision to import wheat despite the availability of sufficient domestic stocks, calling it a policy failure that undermines farmers’ interests and places an unnecessary financial burden on the national exchequer.
In a joint statement, the leaders said the government’s decision to purchase imported wheat at a higher price, despite acknowledging that locally produced wheat is cheaper, reflects poor planning and flawed agricultural policies. They said the additional cost of imports would place billions of rupees in extra burden on the public treasury.
The MKL leaders urged the government to immediately resume official wheat procurement, fix the support price at Rs4,500 per maund, and compensate farmers who had already sold their wheat below the proposed support price by paying them the price difference.
They said timely procurement of wheat from local farmers at fair prices could have prevented the current situation, eliminating the need for costly imports and saving valuable foreign exchange. Instead, they argued, existing policies have caused financial losses to farmers while weakening the country’s food security.
The leaders further demanded that wheat procurement be carried out directly through government institutions rather than private vendors to ensure transparency, protect farmers from exploitation and maintain strategic food reserves.
Rejecting the view that a higher support price could lead to surplus wheat production, they said surplus production should be regarded as an economic opportunity rather than a liability. With effective planning, Pakistan could explore new international markets and export excess wheat, strengthening the agricultural sector, increasing farmers’ incomes and generating valuable foreign exchange for the country.
They called on the government to review its current agricultural policies and adopt measures that protect farmers, strengthen food security and promote sustainable growth in the agriculture sector.