The Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB), a farmers’ lobbying group, has criticized the Sindh government for offering what it called an insufficient subsidy of Rs1,500 per acre to small farmers in the province.
The issue was discussed during a board meeting in Hyderabad, chaired by SAB President Mahmood Nawaz Shah. Participants argued that the subsidy amount is too small to address the growing financial pressures farmers face.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the board acknowledged the introduction of the Benazir Hari Card as a positive step but said it currently covers less than 20 percent of small growers in Sindh.
Farmers said the agriculture sector was already struggling before the recent rise in diesel prices and warned that the fuel hike would further increase the cost of cultivation.
The meeting also highlighted concerns over declining crop prices in recent years, particularly wheat. Following the devastating 2022 Pakistan floods, the government fixed the wheat price at Rs4,000 per 40kg.
However, by early 2024, prices dropped sharply to Rs2,200 per 40kg after the government halted procurement under conditions linked to the International Monetary Fund program.
Although procurement resumed this year, the government fixed the support price at Rs3,500 per 40kg, while traders in the open market are reportedly paying around Rs3,200.
Farmers argued that government policies, including the timing of imports during harvest and restrictions on exports, have contributed to the crisis.
According to SAB, Sindh has about 2.6 million farming households, with more than 90 percent classified as small farmers. However, only about 330,000 farmers have received the Benazir Hari Card.
The board warned that rising fuel prices and regional tensions could increase cultivation costs by up to Rs12,000 per acre, further straining the agricultural sector.
Farmers urged the government to introduce pragmatic measures, including reducing taxes and levies on agricultural inputs and preventing stockpiling and price manipulation.
Several farmers and agricultural leaders, including Dr Bashir Nizamani, Syed Nadeem Shah, Imran Bozdar, Taha Memon, and Masroor Soomro, attended the meeting and called for stronger support to protect the province’s agro-economy.