LAHORE: Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) President Khalid Khokhar has painted a bleak picture of the country`s agricultural sector and the dire state of its farmers, saying they have been pushed to the verge of totaldestruction because of the government`s flawed policies.

Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, the farmers` leader emphasised that wheat is the `engine of all crops,` warning that the failure to secure fair prices for wheat alone is causing losses of billions of dollars to the country. He asserted that agriculture in Pakistan has been reduced to `negligible` and that farmers are in deep distress. He cited the example of maize prices, which have plummeted from Rs3,600 to Rs2,200 per 40kg, severely impacting growers.

Khokhar questioned the agriculture minister why `facts` were not being made public, accusing him ofcommitting `economic murder` of the poor farmers by providing cheap bread in the cities at the expense of their livelihoods. He demanded that the agriculture minister should disclose the crops` actual `cost of production`, highlighting the `destruction of the farming community in Pakistan`.

He pointed out a significant disparity in taxation, stating that foreign farmers enjoy tax exemptions on agricultural inputs, while Pakistani farmers are burdened with an 18pc tax. This, he argued, is destroying local agriculture.

PKI chief highlighted a drastic decline in cotton production in the country, which he says has fallen from 14.7 million bales to merely 5m bales. This, along with a 50pc cut in exports of mango, kinnow, onion, and maize, has led to a massive increase in the import bill.

Khokhar warned of a `terrible future` if an agricultural emergency is not declared in the country. He also criticised the government for providing a mere Rs15 billion `wheat support package` after inflicting a `colossal loss of Rs1,600bn` on farmers.

He stressed that crop prices should be determined according to international rules and the cost of production.