The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday sought a reply from the Punjab government and others on a petition challenging the minimum support price and procurement policy for wheat until May 14.
The division bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Anwaarul Haq Pannun heard the petition filed by petitioner-counsel Bilal Ahmad. The petitioner-counsel argued before the bench that the minimum support price 2023-2024 and procurement policy 2024 for wheat was in violation of Articles 3, 9, 14 and 24 of the Constitution.
He submitted that the minimum support price of wheat for the year 2023-2024 was fixed at Rs 3,900 per 40 kg. He referred to a report of the Agriculture Policy Institute, stating that the estimated overall cultivation cost for wheat in 2024 stood at Rs 114,809, with a total yield of Rs 120,900, based on a projected yield of 31 maunds per acre.
This indicates a profit of Rs 6,091 per acre, translating to Rs 1,015 per month per acre for the six-month wheat harvesting period, he said and added that the amount was significantly below the minimum wage for unskilled laborers, which was Rs 32,000 per month.
He further submitted that the Punjab government had not only raised the prices of bags provided to growers for wheat procurement, but also set a procurement target of 2 million metric tons for wheat in 2024, down from 3.5 million metric tons in 2023. Consequently, even those farmers who earned Rs 6,000 after six months of hard work are struggling to make ends meet, he added.
The bench, after hearing initial arguments, sought a reply from the Punjab government and other respondents by May 14.
