THE Kissan Board Pakistan has demanded that agriculture receive at least 10pc of the federal and provincial budgets to lower input costs and address recurring deficits.

The farmers’ body also wants support prices of Rs5,000 per 40kg for wheat and Rs700 for sugarcane, citing declining profitability. It has criticised urea shortages, high electricity bills, weak fruit sector returns, and the Pak-Afghan border closure, warning of protests if their demands are not met. Their case for enhanced budgetary allocations deserves consideration. The sector contributes about 22pc of GDP and supports nearly 60pc of the population, but receives only 2-3pc of allocations. However, money alone will not fix matters. Nor should a larger allocation become another excuse for........

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