LAHORE: Small farmers across the country staged demos on Sunday, demanding “guaranteed” support prices, including Rs5,000 per maund price for wheat, and an immediate halt to corporate land grabbing and genetically modified (GM) crops.

Organised by the Pakistan Kissan Rabta Committee (PKRC), the nationwide demonstrations highlighted a rapidly deepening rural crisis driven by sky-rocketing costs of diesel, electricity, fertilizers, and seeds, alongside nonviable crop returns.

In the demos, the participants voiced strong opposition to IMF and World Bank-backed economic policies that promote market deregulation and the weakening of public agricultural institutions.

Their key demands include immediate restoration of the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) and a robust public procurement mechanism to shield growers from exploitation by powerful middlemen and market cartels.

PKRC President Tariq Mahmood and Secretary General Riffat Maqsood pointed out that small landholders are being pushed to the brink of financial collapse.

PKRC Federal Committee member Farooq Tariq reiterated that the true path to national food security lies in genuine agrarian reforms, land redistribution for landless peasants, transparent water distribution and support for local seed sovereignty, rather than handing over national agricultural resources to commercial conglomerates and expanding GM crops.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2026