Bu Our Correspondent
LAHORE: PKRC President Tariq Mahmood, General Secretary Riffat Maqsood, and AMP President Mehr Ghulam Abbas Sial declared that tenant farmers will resist state-led dispossession at all costs, while demanding a minimum support price (MSP) of PKR 4,000 per maund for wheat.
He was addressing a press conference in Lahore, The Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) alongside Anjuman Mazareen Punjab (AMP), has announced a nationwide mobilization against forced evictions, corporate farming, and the dismantling of public agricultural systems
Tenant farmers at Katora Farm, Hasilpur—who have cultivated these lands for generations, even prior to the creation of Pakistan—have been issued eviction notices requiring them to vacate within 30 days. These lands are now being targeted for transfer to corporations and powerful institutions under the banner of “corporate farming” and the Green Pakistan Initiative.
PKRC emphasized that this is not an isolated incident, but part of a systematic process of agrarian restructuring, where land and resources are being taken from peasants and handed over to corporate actors in the name of “modernization” and “efficiency.” In reality, this represents a deepening of historical injustice rooted in colonial land regimes, feudal structures, and unequal land distribution.
Peasant communities across Okara, Khanewal, Jhang, Bhakkar, Jahanian, Multan, Arifwala, Hasilpur, and beyond have long struggled for land rights. The latest eviction notices issued by the Bahawalpur administration have been met with firm and united resistance, with farmers declaring they will not leave their land under any circumstances.
PKRC President Tariq Mahmood stated: “These evictions are a continuation of decades of exploitation. Land that has been cultivated by peasants for generations is now being handed over to corporate interests. This is a deliberate project of dispossession.”
AMP President Mehr Ghulam Abbas Sial added: “Our forefathers reclaimed these barren lands on the promise of ownership. For over a century we have lived and worked here, yet the threat of eviction remains. Our struggle began 27 years ago—we did not retreat then, and we will not retreat now.”
AMP Vice President and Katora Farm resident, Advocate Shamoon Bhatti, declared: “We will give our lives, but not an inch of our land. Women, youth, and children are all mobilized. Every village will resist.”
PKRC warned that the removal of wheat support systems, privatization of procurement, and land dispossession are collectively pushing Pakistan toward a deep agrarian and food crisis.
Although the government has announced a wheat support price of PKR 3,500 per 40 kg, this remains largely symbolic. In Sindh, procurement has not begun despite the harvest season, forcing farmers to sell wheat at PKR 2,000–2,450 per maund—well below production costs.
In Punjab, the state is moving toward full privatization of wheat procurement, allowing at least 35 private companies—including agribusiness firms, fertilizer corporations, multinational traders, and flour mills—to purchase directly from farmers. Among them are entities such as Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), along with global commodity giants like Louis Dreyfus Company and Cargill.
Similar trends are emerging in other provinces. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a hybrid procurement model (75% public, 25% private) signals a gradual but clear shift toward corporate control over food systems.
PKRC General Secretary Riffat Maqsood stated: “The wheat procurement season is here, and farmers have already suffered major losses in potato & other crops. We will not allow the same injustice to happen again.”
She further emphasized: “The dismantling of the minimum support price system is a devastating blow. It guaranteed minimum farmer incomes and national food security. Under IMF-driven policies, the state has withdrawn from its responsibility, leaving small farmers at the mercy of corporations. This is a death sentence for small farmers.”
PKRC has announced a meetings & big peasant mobilizations:- 31 March: Joint meeting in Lahore with AMP and civil society
– 5 April: Mass gathering at Muhammad Nagar Farm, Arifwala
– 17 April – International Day of Peasant Struggles: Nationwide protests at 100+ locations. Thousands of peasants, small farmers, and rural workers are expected to participate.
PKRC demands:- Immediate restoration of the wheat support price and public procurement system
– Fix wheat price at PKR 4,000 per maund
– End privatization and corporate control of agricultural markets
– Halt all forced evictions and corporate farming projects
– Grant land ownership rights to tenant farmers
– Immediately withdraw eviction notices from Katora Farm (Hasilpur), Muhammad Nagar Seed Farm (Arifwala), and all affected areas
PKRC reaffirmed that Pakistan’s agrarian future cannot be built on dispossession, privatization, and corporate control.
The only viable path forward is one rooted in food sovereignty, land justice, and farmer-led systems.
