Report: ANI Correspondent:
ISLAMABAD– Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Kisan Wing has rejected the 27.27% to 45.45% increase in certified wheat seed prices announced by the Punjab Seed Corporation ahead of the Rabi season, calling it a major financial burden on farmers already struggling with rising agricultural input costs.
In a statement, PTI Kisan Wing Central Information Secretary Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich said the Punjab government had fixed the price of certified wheat seed at Rs. 5,500 per 50kg bag last year following negotiations. However, the Punjab Seed Corporation has now set the price at Rs. 7,000 for Punjab and Rs. 8,000 for other provinces.
He said open-market prices were also high, with a 50kg bag of Sawera-24 selling for Rs. 8,500, Falak Premium for Rs. 7,930 and Nishan Bhakkar Super for Rs. 7,533.
Sadhraich said farmers were already facing high electricity tariffs, fertilizer costs and diesel prices, while low wheat sale rates and middlemen further reduced their earnings.
Warning that higher seed prices could discourage wheat cultivation this season, he said small and marginal farmers would be particularly affected.
The PTI Kisan Wing demanded the immediate withdrawal of the price increase, restoration of last year's rates and subsidies on agricultural inputs, warning that continued pressure on farmers could threaten food security and trigger protests.
