ISLAMABAD: Pakistani farmers on Sunday announced a nationwide protest over the wheat import crisis from May 10, a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised to address their grievances.
Farmers in Pakistan’s Punjab province, which produces most of the wheat crop, are demanding the government stop wheat imports that have flooded the market at a time when they expect bumper crop.
They say the import of wheat in the second half of 2023 and the first three months of this year has resulted in excess amounts of the commodity in the country, leading to reduced prices.
On Saturday, PM Sharif took notice of the matter and formed a committee under the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to address farmer grievances, Pakistani state media reported.
“On the 10th [of May], after the Friday prayers, we are initiating protest from Multan and this protest will be expanded to the whole of Pakistan,” Khalid Khokhar, who heads the Kissan Ittehad Pakistan, said at a press conference.
“Thousands of farmers will come, there will be hundreds of tractors, trailers. Animals, cattle and children and women will also be accompanied.”
Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and constitutes its largest sector. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for half of the employed labor force in the country.
However, the prices of wheat have dropped in Pakistan in recent weeks and are much below the government’s support price of Rs3,900 per 40-kilogram bag.
“We do not have any option other than this. The mafia made Rs100 billion, Pakistan’s $1 billion worth of foreign exchange was spent and the farmers incurred around Rs400 billion losses,” Khokhar said.
“They slaughtered 60 million farmers just for the sake of corruption.”
Pakistan farmers announce nationwide protest from May 10 amid wheat import crisis
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Pakistan farmers announce nationwide protest from May 10 amid wheat import crisis
- Farmers are demanding the government stop wheat imports that have flooded markets, leading to price slump
- Agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the GDP and accounts for half of the employed labor force in Pakistan
UAE President to make first official Pakistan visit today with Islamabad set for arrival
- Foreign office says talks will cover investment, energy cooperation and regional stability
- UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner and a key source of long-term investment
ISLAMABAD: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan today, Friday, for his first official visit since assuming office, with Islamabad adorned with Pakistani and Emirati flags to mark the occasion.
The visit, taking place at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is aimed at reviewing bilateral ties and exploring ways to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy and development, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.
Ahead of the visit, Islamabad has been decked out with large billboards carrying images of the visiting UAE president alongside President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Sharif.
Rehearsals were also held a day earlier along roads leading to Constitution Avenue, the seat of the government, where groups dressed in traditional attire lined both sides of the route to welcome the visiting delegation.
“During the visit, His Highness will hold a meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, where the two leaders will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the foreign office said in a statement announcing the UAE president’s planned arrival earlier this week.
“The visit will provide an important opportunity to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates,” it added.
The Islamabad administration has declared a public holiday in the capital, while the traffic police have rolled out an extensive plan to manage vehicular movement during the visit.
According to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan, heavy traffic entering the city has been barred from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., with several main arteries closed and alternative routes designated.
Pakistan considers the UAE one of its closest regional and economic partners. The Gulf state is Islamabad’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States and remains a major source of foreign investment.
Over the past two decades, Emirati investment in Pakistan has exceeded $10 billion, according to the UAE’s foreign ministry.
Policymakers in Pakistan also consider the UAE an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
