By Khalid Saeed Wattoo | Dr Waqar Ahmad
The sowing season of wheat — Pakistan’s primary staple crop grown on over 22 million acres — is just two months away, yet uncertainty prevails across the sector. Farmers incurred losses in 2025 as their produce fetched only Rs2,100–2,300 per 40kgs, well below production costs as well as import parity prices. As a result, many growers with alternative crop options are now reluctant to sow wheat, deepening last year’s six per cent drop in acreage.
This crisis is the inevitable outcome of Pakistan’s wheat sector policies, shaped largely by international financial institutions and mounting fiscal pressures. The federal and provincial governments have not only ceased setting a minimum support price but have also discontinued public procurement since the last crop season.
Historically, both these measures helped stabilise the market, maintain strategic reserves, and guarantee farmers a basic profit. Yet, structural inefficiencies in procurement and storage, entrenched corruption, and the heavy reliance on com