Pakistan is an agricultural country in name, but in reality, its farmers have become the most neglected and abandoned segment of society. Today, the Pakistani farmer is crying — not just due to climate challenges or the rising cost of inputs — but because there is simply no one to listen, no system to
support them, and no plan to secure their future.
Let’s take the recent wheat crisis as an example. Despite enduring a tough season marked by extreme weather and soaring fertilizer prices, when the crop was finally harvested in 2025, the government shockingly made a full exit from the procurement process. Without an alternative structure in place,
farmers were left to sell their crops at throwaway prices — a national food
system left to chance.
One of the core reasons for this collapse is the absence of value-added agriculture in Pakistan. Our produce — whether it’s wheat, rice, potatoes, or fruits — is sold in raw form. Unlike neighboring India, where consumer markets are developed, agro-processing industries are strong, and fertilizers and other inputs are heavily subsidized, Pakistan’s system is primitive.
Farmers are forced to buy inputs at high rates, bearing the brunt of GST, value-added tax, and even FED — while simultaneously selling their products at unsustainably low prices.
There is no policy to incentivize investment in the agro-industry. Industrialists are short-term opportunists. The government has failed to create special value-addition zones, provide research-industry linkages, or develop export- grade varieties in line with international market standards.
Some industries, such as sugarcane and tobacco, provide partial protection to their contract farmers, but others, like cotton, are collapsing. Cotton growers are punished with taxes, while the industry benefits from duty waivers on imported cotton. In rice, too, the processing industry remains underdeveloped and disconnected from research centers. There is no coordination between agricultural R&D institutions and actual growers, resulting in a lack of adaptation to modern challenges.
Meanwhile, fertilizer prices — especially for phosphate- and potash-based products — have skyrocketed in international markets, crossing $750 per ton. With rupee devaluation and dollar fluctuations, the burden hits Pakistani farmers twice as hard. There is no shield, no strategy, no relief.
This has demoralized the farmer to such an extent that they are now telling
their children to leave agriculture and move abroad — even for labor — rather than stay in a system that only offers debt, struggle, and humiliation.
Agriculture, once Pakistan’s pride, is now on the edge of collapse.
Recommendations & Urgency:
1. Immediate Caps & Subsidies: Fertilizer and agro-chemical prices must be capped, GST and FED must be waived, and subsidies must be restored.
2. Value-Added Zones: Urgently develop agro-industrial zones with clear policies and investor incentives.
3. Research Integration: Link agricultural universities and research institutes directly with farmer cooperatives and industries.
4. Seed & Variety Development: Focus on climate-resilient and export- grade varieties in crops aligned with international standards.
Conclusion:
The Pakistani farmer — the backbone of our nation — is now weeping, and rightfully so. We’ve left them exposed to global market shocks, domestic policy failures, and structural neglect. If we don’t act now — with serious, sustained, and systemic reforms — we risk more than just economic decline. We risk food insecurity, rural collapse, and generational disengagement from farming itself.
It’s time we hear the farmer’s cry — and respond not with promises, but with
policy, investment, and respect.
