IT is once again that time of year when wheat producers, particularly smallholder farmers, worry about recovering their costs, fearing that they will not receive a fair price for the crop that feeds a nation facing significant hunger. The wheat harvest has rarely provided relief to farmers. Besides being disrupted by a combination of policy gaps, administrative lethargy and adverse weather, what has added to their worries this year is the reduced availability of threshers, caused by disruptions in manufacturing due to power outages and restrictive business hours at the peak of the harvesting season. The concern, raised by the PTI Kissan Wing spokesman, is a symptom of policy failure when timing is critical for farmers. The shortage of threshers is not an insignificant issue as it risks substantial damage to the crop due to grain shattering, while exposure to untimely rains can degrade quality and cause losses to growers. Such avoidable losses are hard to ignore when we are already grappling with rising food insecurity.

Equally troubling is the policy incoherence surrounding wheat pricing and procurement. The belated announcement of the official price at Rs3,500 per maund has failed to reassure farmers, many of whom have reportedly sold their produce to middlemen at distress prices, particularly in south Punjab. With input costs having risen sharply from fertiliser to diesel, the demand for an even higher support price underscores concerns over potential losses at current market rates. This year’s harvest is further overshadowed by weather-related shocks. Recent rain and hailstorms have already caused visible damage in parts of south and central Punjab, raising concerns about output. Climate change is a persistent risk, yet the official response remains reactive instead of proactive. The absence of a clear procurement mechanism and policy ambiguity are also not helping prop up farmers’ prices, although the Punjab government has identified 11 private companies for procuring strategic reserves of 3m to 3.5m tonnes at the official support price. Agriculture, the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, continues to be a victim of ad hocism that would be unacceptable in any other critical sector. If the authorities fail to respond to farmers’ concerns relating to harvesting equipment and a fair price for their crop, it could adversely affect the economy, which is already buffeted by rising energy prices thanks to the Middle East crisis.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2026