PTI white paper on wheat crisis

According to Dawn, the PTI Kisan Wing released a white paper on the wheat crisis on Thursday at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad. The release came at a time when the government has agreed to bring in one million tonnes of wheat. The document reviews 79 years of farm policy, procurement records, support prices and institutional performance.

The paper says wheat output reached roughly 31.43 million tonnes in 2023-24 but later fell as uncertain procurement, low farm-gate rates and weak market intervention pushed growers away from the crop. It also argues that higher costs for fertiliser, diesel, electricity, seeds and labour have squeezed farmers who receive low prices for their produce. Frequent changes to import and export rules, the authors claim, have hurt local markets and left Pakistan importing wheat at higher prices.

The white paper calls for an emergency national plan covering research reforms, timely guaranteed procurement, transparent support prices and strategic wheat reserves. Speakers including Sheikh Waqas Akram, who joined by video link, said the document offers evidence-based solutions rather than only criticism. They cautioned that without safeguarding growers, a state cannot secure its food supply.