Farmers must be heard

The threat of a 'Million March' on the federal capital by farmers demands immediate, sympathetic attention. The farmers are demanding fairer prices for their produce as well as a review of policies which, they claim, are causing them losses worth trillions of rupees. Also, their concerns regarding skyrocketing energy prices, rising fertiliser costs and a cut in water share cannot be brushed aside. The backbone of the economy, agriculture yields 23.4% of GDP, employs 33% of the labour force, and drives vital allied sectors like livestock, fisheries and forestry. Ignoring this crisis risks crippling the nation's economic foundation. The growers contend that only a total policy overhaul can resolve the ongoing wheat procurement crisis. For years, their crop has been purchased at heavily suppressed rates, even as the state drains precious foreign reserves to import wheat at exorbitant costs. The farmers are entirely justified in demanding that safeguarding agricultural land, managing water resources and securing farmers' welfare be elevated to a top national priority. This unrest, however, has been brewing for a while. Compounding losses have already forced bitter choices upon growers, who claim they are pulling back wheat cultivation by up to 40%. Farmers insist that while the state preaches deregulation, it simultaneously engages in administrative excesses and enforces an arbitrary ban on inter-provincial crop transit. This structural mismanagement has inflicted a staggering Rs2.2 trillion blow to the agricultural economy, pushing cash crop prospects to the brink of collapse. For growers, the path forward is unmistakable: the state must aggressively curb its reliance on imports and actively pave the way for agricultural export expansion. They expect withdrawal of retaliatory FIRs, climate-loss compensation and respectful treatment. The calls for resignation of the Punjab CM may dominate headlines, but the systemic cure is clear: a grand dialogue between farmers and policymakers is urgently required to rewrite an actionable agricultural roadmap before the crisis deepens.