Pakistan's farm sector requires a long-term policy framework rather than short-term interventions, the Kissan Board Pakistan (KBP) has argued, urging the government to introduce a five-year National Agricultural Policy that guarantees crop pricing, reduces production costs and provides greater certainty for growers.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, KBP President Sardar Zafar Hussain Khan presented a series of proposals for the upcoming federal budget, calling for a comprehensive agricultural strategy to be developed in consultation with farmers. The organisation proposed that crop support prices should be announced at least two months before sowing, based on production costs with a guaranteed 25 percent return for farmers. It also urged the government to announce import, export, subsidy and marketing policies in advance so growers can make informed decisions on crop selection and investment.
KBP highlighted that between 70 and 80 percent of agricultural activity in Pakistan is conducted under tenancy and contract farming arrangements, yet contractors remain outside any formal policy framework despite being key participants in the country's agricultural economy. The Board called for such farmers to be included in all government incentives and support programmes.
It also sought greater accountability for district administrations and market committees, arguing they should be held responsible if post-harvest market failures and uncontrolled price fluctuations result in financial losses for farmers. To reduce production costs, the organisation proposed fixing electricity tariffs for agricultural tube wells at Rs10 per unit for the next five years. It also called for the removal of taxes on tractors, agricultural machinery and major farm inputs, while seeking a five-year freeze on the prices of seeds, DAP, urea and nitrophos fertilisers.
In addition, KBP urged the government to abolish all taxes and duties on solar panels, inverters and related equipment used for agricultural tube wells to promote lower-cost irrigation through solar energy. The organisation further recommended a moratorium on any new taxes affecting the agricultural sector for at least five years.
The Board also proposed eliminating the petroleum levy on diesel used in farming operations, arguing that lower fuel costs would reduce expenditure on cultivation, irrigation, harvesting and transportation. Among its broader recommendations were reductions in duties on agricultural machinery, wider availability of modern farming equipment and the implementation of a results-oriented 10-year agricultural research plan focused on practical improvements in farm productivity.
KBP also called for the provision of interest-free agricultural loans through a simplified, transparent and farmer-friendly credit system. The organisation advocated stronger links between farmers and buyers, greater transparency in wholesale markets, legal recognition and regulation of intermediaries under a fair commission structure, and stricter action against exploitative market practices.
The Board further proposed allocating at least 10 percent of Pakistan's GDP to agricultural revival initiatives. It said the funding should be used to reduce the prices of essential agricultural inputs, including seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, by 50 percent, while protecting farmers from sudden increases in electricity, diesel, fertiliser and pesticide costs. "We are not asking the government for charity; we are asking for policy," Sardar Zafar Hussain Khan and other Kissan Board Pakistan leaders said while presenting their proposals.