“We will lay down our lives, but will not give up even an inch of our land”

Nationwide protests to be held at over 100 locations on April 17 against corporate farming: PKRC
Leaders of the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) and Anjuman Mazareen Punjab (AMP), addressing a press conference in Lahore, announced that tenant farmers (mazareen) will strongly resist government eviction notices and demanded that the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat be fixed at PKR 4,000 per maund.

PKRC President Tariq Mahmood, General Secretary Riffat Maqsood, and AMP President Mehr Ghulam Abbas Sial stated that tenants at Katora Farm, Hasalpur, have been issued notices to vacate their land within 30 days. They emphasized that these lands have been cultivated by mazareen since before the creation of Pakistan and warned that the evictions are part of a broader plan to dispossess farmers and transfer land to corporations under corporate farming schemes, particularly the Green Pakistan Initiative.

They further highlighted that AMP has been struggling for the ownership rights of tenant farmers across Okara, Khanewal, Jhang, Bhakkar, Jahaniyan, Multan, Arifwala, Hasalpur, and other regions. Recently, the Bahawalpur district administration issued eviction notices to tenants at Katora Farm, triggering widespread resistance. The mazareen have resolved not to vacate their land under any circumstances.

Speaking at the press conference, PKRC President Tariq Mahmood described the forced evictions as a continuation of Pakistan’s exploitative agrarian history, rooted in feudal structures, colonial-era laws, and unequal land distribution. He warned that these policies are designed to take land from poor farmers and hand it over to corporate interests.

AMP President Mehr Ghulam Abbas Sial stated that generations of farmers have cultivated these lands, often transforming barren tracts into productive fields based on state promises of ownership. Despite over a century passing, these promises remain unfulfilled. He added that their struggle for land rights began 27 years ago and remains unwavering.

AMP Vice President and Katora Farm resident Shamoon Bhatti declared: “We will give our lives, but will not give up even an inch of our land.” He emphasized that entire communities—including women, youth, and children—are prepared to resist.

PKRC leadership warned that the combined impact of abolishing wheat support prices, artificial price controls, privatization, and land evictions will devastate the rural economy, deepen inequality, and push the country toward a food crisis.

PKRC General Secretary Riffat Maqsood stated that the wheat procurement season has begun, while farmers have already suffered heavy losses in the potato crop. She warned that farmers will not allow similar losses during the wheat season and demanded immediate announcement of procurement along with an MSP of PKR 4,000 per maund.

She added that the removal of the MSP is a severe blow to farmers, as it previously ensured minimum income and national food security. Under IMF-driven reforms, the state has withdrawn from procurement responsibilities, handing the system over to private markets. As a result, farmers are forced to sell at low prices while input costs continue to rise.

“This is a death warrant for small farmers,” she said, warning that without MSP, farmers are left at the mercy of traders and corporations who dictate prices.

Upcoming Actions Announced by PKRC
• March 31: Joint meeting of AMP and civil society in Lahore
• April 5: Major gathering at Muhammad Nagar Farm, Arifwala
• April 17 (International Farmers’ Day): Nationwide protests at over 100 locations against corporate farming and for wheat MSP

PKRC Demands
• Immediate restoration of wheat support price and public procurement system
• Fix wheat price at PKR 4,000 per maund
• End privatization and corporate control over wheat procurement
• Halt corporate farming and forced evictions of tenant farmers
• Transfer land ownership to farmers and grant ownership rights
• Immediate withdrawal of eviction notices from Katora Farm (Hasalpur), Muhammad Nagar Seed Farm (Arifwala), and other farms
• Adoption of a farmer-led agriculture system based on food sovereignty

Issued by:
Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1cA9etLri2/

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