Farmers Threaten a Million March Over Punjab’s Agriculture Crisis, Demand CM’s Resignation
The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad has threatened a nationwide “Million March” to Rawalpindi from September 25 if Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz does not resign, as farmers accuse the provincial government of worsening conditions in the agriculture sector.
Leaders of the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad said they would launch the protest after what they described as a failure of the civilian government to address farmers’ concerns. They said the group has no political dispute with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and is specifically demanding the chief minister’s resignation.
The farmers claimed growers suffered losses of around Rs. 2.2 trillion after the Punjab government declined to procure the local wheat crop. They also criticized the federal government’s decision to import 3.5 million tonnes of wheat when the domestic crop was ready for harvest.
The group said potato farmers have faced losses of around Rs. 250,000 per acre, while cotton yields have fallen sharply from 60 maunds to 12 maunds per acre, according to its estimates. Farmers also face rising costs for fertilizer and electricity, the group said.
PKI leaders highlighted the increase in agricultural input prices, saying a DAP fertilizer bag that cost Rs. 2,400 in 2016 now costs Rs. 16,600. Urea prices, they said, have risen from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 4,600, while electricity for agricultural tube wells has increased from Rs. 5 to Rs. 40 per unit.
The farmers also accused government departments of corruption in the distribution of fertilizer subsidies and criticized provincial officials over the government’s reported wheat production figures. PKI Chairman Khalid Hussain Batth disputed the Punjab government’s reported wheat output of 21.9 million tonnes, claiming actual production was no more than 15 million tonnes.
The group also accused the provincial government of treating agricultural projects as contracts benefiting a select few and questioned its handling of unpaid sugarcane dues. Batth contrasted what he described as action against small farmers with the government’s alleged failure to take similar action against major industrial players.
PKI President Mian Umair warned that the farming community’s grievances could have political consequences in rural areas. He said the group had lost confidence in the civilian leadership and would take its demands directly to the military leadership in Rawalpindi if its concerns were not addressed.
The farmers have set September 25 as the proposed start date for their protest march, raising the prospect of a major confrontation between the farming community and the Punjab government if no settlement is reached.
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