{
  "id": 528997,
  "title": "Farmers threaten protest march to save agriculture",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/farmers-threaten-protest-march-to-save-agriculture-528997",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-11T03:06:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2022038/farmers-threaten-protest-march-to-save-agriculture"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Lahore, the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) has issued a serious warning of a nationwide protest march to oust Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and save their struggling farming community. Addressing reporters, PKI President Mian Umair Masood and Chairman Khalid Hussain Batth stated that farmers face total devastation if Nawaz continues in office for another 2.5 years. The PKI clearly stated they harbor no animosity towards the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, but are solely seeking Nawaz's resignation. They accused her of lacking political skills and treating agricultural projects as contract opportunities for a select few.\n\nFarmers reported an astronomical loss of Rs2,200 billion due to the provincial government’s refusal to purchase wheat, while they also condemned the federal decision to import 3.5 million tonnes of wheat at the same time as their local crop was ready for harvest. Worsening the situation, potato farmers faced a loss of Rs250,000 per acre, and cotton yields plummeted from 60 maunds to just 12 maunds per acre. Fertilizer costs have skyrocketed from Rs2,400 to Rs16,600, urea prices have jumped from Rs1,200 to Rs4,600, and agricultural electricity tariffs for tube-wells have surged from Rs5 to Rs40 per unit. The PKI further accused the provincial bureaucracy and government spokespersons, particularly Azma Bokhari and Salma Butt, of lacking understanding of agriculture. They challenged the government's claimed wheat yield of 21.9 million tonnes, asserting that the actual production was only 15 million tonnes.\n\nPKI President Mian Umair warned that the PML-N's actions will not be forgotten by rural voters and that the desperate farming community has now prepared to appeal directly to the military leadership in Rawalpindi.",
  "summary": "LAHORE: The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) has demanded immediate resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, warning of a historic, nationwide ‘Million March” on Rawalpindi starting Sept 25 if their demand is not met. Addressing a press conference alongside PKI President Mian Umair Masood and Chairman Khalid Hussain Batth, stated that the farming community faces total devastation if the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn Business",
        "title": "Farmers threaten protest march to save agriculture",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/farmers-threaten-protest-march-to-save-agriculture",
        "published": "2026-08-11T03:06:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}