Overview
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday proposed an illustrative wheat support price of Rs4,500 per maund (40kg) for the 2027 crop, a Rs1,000 increase from last year.
- Officials say the rise aims to help growers cover higher costs for fertiliser, diesel and other inputs and to encourage more land to be sown with wheat to boost domestic output.
- The announcement described Rs4,500 as illustrative and did not guarantee government procurement or explain the mechanism that would ensure farmers actually receive the price.
- National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain has pledged federal coordination with provinces and noted the government has reserved one million tonnes of wheat to stabilise supply.
- Farmers are demanding Rs5,000 per maund, leaving an apparent Rs500 gap that could keep farmers unsatisfied unless procurement rules, input subsidies or higher rates are put in place, and Pakistan remains mindful of recent years of imports after weak domestic output.