LAHORE: There was no surprise for many when the Punjab government abruptly decided not to procure wheat from the farmers at the culmination of the last season, though it has announced the minimum support price for the crop and distributed gunny bags among the growers for carrying grain to the procurement centres established for the purpose. They believed that the PML-N has the track record of ignoring the agriculture sector, which has always come to the rescue of the national economy. Even in the year 2024 when other sectors were showing poor performance, it grew 6.25 per cent despite the fact that cotton and rice crops as well as vegetables, particularly onions and tomatoes, had been challenged by the climate change impact. This growth supported the economy reeling under higher dollar-rupee parity, elevated power tariff, over 38pc inflation, etc. There was a strong perception that the wheat growers, hurt by last season’s ‘scuttled’ procurement drive, would abandon the crop this season and the cash-starved government would have to spend a huge sum of foreign exchange on imports to meet local flour needs. But the official figures reveal that Punjab, which produces 80pc of the grain, has achieved 99.9pc wheat cultivation target. Apparently, schemes like Kissan and Livestock Cards, e-credit, subsidized tube-wells solarization, laser-land leveling and green tractors helped restore trust of the growers in the government and encouraged them to sow wheat, though at somewhat reduced acreage. Amer Hayat Bhandara, a progressive grower from Pakpattan, says that the Kissan Card though could not control rising cost of production, it provided immediate relief to the small landholders, the targeted beneficiaries enabling them to get quality farm inputs on deferred payment. Also there was no option with the farmer, Minhajuddin Hotiana, another grower, explains the compulsion of the community and another factor behind a better than expected wheat sowing. “Many of us are wary of sailing through uncharted waters – going for alternative Rabi crops like canola.” However, Dr Zafar Hayat, a cultivator from Multan, does not think that incentives like green tractors for a handful of people (21,000 beneficiaries) have motivated seven million farmers of the province. “That’s just a political gimmick and not a sound policy that benefitted the entire sector.” Despite all negative perceptions about the official policies, Bhandara is optimistic that the 2025 holds good opportunity for the local farmers, particularly wheat growers, as the wheat producing areas in other regions of the world have been hit by climate change, while the local grain reserves built up from imports by the interim government in 2023, have been largely consumed. “Thus, domestic as well as the international markets will be hungry for grain this year.” Dr Hayat accepts this proposition with a pinch of salt. “I agree that some natural and international factors are predicting a positive year for the local farmers. But I fear that the government will intervene, like in the last year, to keep down wheat and flour prices instead of allowing the supply and demand forces to rule the open market even if it decides not to enter the market as a major player this year as well.” Referring to reports of registration of FIRs in Bahawalpur against those who sold wheat for Rs3,200 per 40kg, he believes that the farming community will be sacrificed at the altar of Sasti Roti for the urban consumers in the year 2025 too. “The authorities will either forcibly procure wheat from the farmers or resort to arm-twisting tactics to keep the wheat rates down to a certain level; otherwise the rates will cross the Rs4500 per 40kg mark.” Besides clearing its negative perception, the government needs to take certain steps for the real benefit of the community and development of the sector. They included concrete and vivid policies on farm inputs like seed, pesticide, fertiliser and regulating the role of middlemen as well as ensuring farmers’ easy access to soft credit. Dr Hayat says the government should go for framing fertiliser, seed and technology transfer policies in consultation with all stakeholders instead of confining itself to political gimmicks or short-term measures if it is serious in developing and strengthening the sector. Mr Hotiana believes that the seed dealers need to be reigned in at the earliest because they are selling poor quality seed with impunity causing damage to the farmers, the agriculture sector as well as the national economy. Many rice growers in his area could reap only 12-15 maunds per acre yield of paddy though they had sown hybrid seed varieties that guarantee 80-100 maunds of yield. “If the government can forcibly pick grain from homes of 7m farmers, how and why cannot it check a couple of hundreds of seed and fertiliser dealers fleecing the growers by selling them substandard products that too at exorbitant rates.” The government should let the market forces determine prices of farm commodities if it continues to give a free hand to companies and dealers of farm inputs, and it must not intervene if prices of grain or other eatables shoot up in the open market, argues Bhandara. “If the government has to protect the [urban] consumer, then it should devise a mechanism in collaboration with the industry so that the wheat grower is not at loss. It may either offer direct subsidy to consumers or through flour mills but let the market forces decide the grain prices.” According to him, if the role of middleman is regulated and access to credit on easy terms ensured the farmer can work wonders and take the contribution of agriculture to the GDP to new heights. “Arhtis, or commission agents, not only offer credit at exorbitant rates, they also deduct a portion of the commodities as commission and manipulate scale to the disadvantage of the growers.” A subsidiary of a major financial institution is not only charging commercial interest rates to the farmer borrowers but also seeking earlier payback of their funds. “How can a farmer, whose crop matures in six months, start paying back to the lender three months after taking loan?” asks Bhandara, referring to the banks’ demand.