Lahore: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has demanded that the government fix the wheat support price at Rs. 4,500 per maund, grant subsidy on flour, and reduce the prices of fertilizer, seeds, and pesticides by 50 percent.

He also called for Rs. 40,000 per acre compensation for flood-affected farmers and the deferral of agricultural loan repayments.

Addressing a press conference at Mansoorah alongside leaders of farmer organizations, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced that JI will hold 'Save Farmer, Save Pakistan' road caravans across Punjab on October 24, 25, and 26 to highlight the plight of the farming community.

JI Punjab Central Emir Javed Kasuri, Secretary Information Shakil Ahmed Turabi, President of Kisan Board Pakistan Sardar Zafar Hussain, and other farmer leaders were also present.

Earlier, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman held consultations with farmers' representatives and invited them to participate in JI's upcoming public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan in November.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warned the government that if farmers' legitimate demands were not accepted, the protest movement would expand nationwide, and farmers might boycott wheat cultivation. He said JI rejects the anti-people policies of the IMF and its local collaborators, adding that no political party except JI represents farmers and the working classes. 'The sugar, flour, and wheat mafias are integral parts of the ruling political parties,' he remarked, recalling that the $1 billion wheat import scandal under the former caretaker government has never been investigated.

The JI chief said that Pakistan's agriculture, once thriving, is now collapsing due to the anti-farmer policies of both federal and provincial governments-particularly the Punjab government over the past year. 'Agriculture is the backbone of our national economy and the livelihood of 60 percent of the rural population. If the current policies continue, Pakistan will face a food crisis next year.'

Criticizing Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that instead of helping farmers and flood victims, she has chosen to pick political fights with Sindh. He said both the PPP and PML-N are deceiving the public with their political theatrics. 'Madam Chief Minister should stop playing political cards,' he said. 'People of Pakistan can no longer be fooled in this age of awareness.' The JI Emir demanded the removal of the ban on inter-provincial wheat movement and the immediate announcement of support prices for key crops.