After last year's massive loss, will Punjab's farmers even sow wheat again?

A tale of abandonment and loss — last year, wheat farmers in Punjab faced a massive loss of PKR 700 billion after the provincial government refused to buy the commodity at support prices.

Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Chairman Khalid Khokhar told Nukta that last season, the Punjab government failed to keep its promise to buy wheat from farmers at a minimum price of PKR 3,900 per 40kg. At the mercy of market forces and hoarders, farmers had to sell their produce at PKR 2,600 per 40kg.

With silence from the government about a support price this year, questions have arisen about whether farmers will even bother sowing wheat this season.