Farmers in Pakistan's Balochistan province called off a planned long march on Islamabad late on 25 September, hours after the provincial government promised to act on their demands, which include a sharply higher wheat support price and emergency relief for farmers squeezed by high input costs and weak returns.

The march was organised by Kissan Ittehad under its Balochistan president Khalid Bath, whose demands included declaring an agricultural emergency in the province. Nationally, Kissan Ittehad led by Khalid Mehmood Khokhar has for weeks pressed the federal government to fix a minimum wheat support price of Rs 5,000 per 40 kilograms.

Farmer leaders call the decision a pause rather than a resolution. With wheat sowing for the 2026-27 rabi season approaching, delays in setting support prices or credit terms narrow farmers' window to buy imported fertiliser and certified seed, Global Agriculture notes.

Photo: Ammarkh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Source: Global Agriculture