Sindh Demands Federal Government to Set National Wheat Support Price

KARACHI: The Sindh government has urged the federal government to fix a national support price for wheat. Provincial Agriculture Minister Sardar Muhammad Bux Mahar stated that due to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions, provincial governments cannot independently announce support prices for farmers without federal approval.

He warned that the delay in setting the wheat support price has placed farmers under severe financial pressure. “The federal government should immediately announce a minimum wheat support price of Rs 4,200 per 40 kg,” he demanded. The Pakistan Peoples Party’s Central Executive Committee had also called for the announcement of a support price a day earlier.

The minister cautioned that if farmers do not receive a fair price, they may shift to other crops, potentially leading to a national food crisis.

Sardar Muhammad Bux Mahar further announced that Sindh has launched a Rs 56 billion Wheat Cultivation Support Program, under which farmers will receive a subsidy of Rs 24,700 per acre for the purchase of urea and DAP fertilizers. This program will benefit 411,000 farmers owning between 1 and 25 acres of land.

“So far, 132,601 farmers have registered, and more are joining,” he said, adding that an additional Rs 8 billion has been allocated under the *Hari Card Scheme* to support tenant farmers.

He noted that 52,993 *Hari Cards* have already been distributed through Sindh Bank branches to newly registered farmers. “This initiative is completely separate from the Rs 58 billion support package,” he clarified.

Minister Mahar added that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has issued special instructions to ensure maximum facilities for farmers across Sindh.