Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar has said that the agriculture sector is currently facing a severe crisis, with farmers not even receiving the production cost of their crops, forcing them to resort to protests.

Speaking at a press conference at the Multan Press Club, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar said that farmers do not protest by choice but out of compulsion. He added that on the government’s request, the planned protest on January 5 was postponed until January 26.

He called for the immediate declaration of an agricultural emergency, stating that potato and kinnow (mandarin) growers are unable to recover even their production costs. He pointed out that a 120-kilogram bag of potatoes, which should be selling for Rs8,000, is currently being sold for as low as Rs1,800.

Khalid Mahmood Khokhar demanded that the government purchase potatoes directly from farmers and facilitate their export. He further urged that support prices for all crops should be announced at least one year before sowing. He called for the wheat support price to be fixed at Rs4,000 per 40 kilograms and demanded that electricity be provided to agricultural consumers at a rate of Rs15 per unit.

He also termed the suspension of net metering as illegal and demanded its immediate restoration. Additionally, he called for at least two percent of the national budget to be allocated to agricultural research. Warning the authorities, he said that if the legitimate demands of farmers are not accepted, a massive protest will be staged outside the Punjab Assembly on January 26.