With the wheat sowing season approaching, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday set an indicative price of Rs4,500 per maund for the 2027 crop, raising last year's procurement price by Rs1,000.
A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said the increase reflects higher production costs. The decision was taken under the guidance of President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N president Nawaz Sharif, and in consultation with the chief ministers of Punjab and Sindh, it said.
The prime minister said farmers had struggled in recent years with inflation and rising farm costs, while Pakistan had been forced to import wheat over the past two years. Encouraging farmers to grow wheat was a key aim of the decision, he said, expressing hope that the new price would let growers cover costs, earn a profit and strengthen national food security.
The announced price is still Rs500 below what farmers have asked for. Last month the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad demanded a support price of Rs5,000 per 40kg, warning that growers might skip wheat next season if the government delayed its crop policy, and saying farmers could not afford balanced fertiliser use because they were not recovering their costs.
Whether the price is enough to drive widespread sowing will matter well beyond the farm gate, since next year's flour prices and food security depend heavily on this crop.