Pakistan, May 13 -- In a major move to ease farmer concerns and defuse ongoing protests, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved a wheat support subsidy of Rs5,000 per acre. The relief will be provided under the Kissan Card programme and benefit around 600,000 farmers across the province. The decision comes at a time when the provincial government is under pressure from both farmers and flour millers over its wheat procurement policy.

During a high-level meeting in Lahore, the chief minister directed that farmers without Kissan Cards should also be eligible for the subsidy. Officials informed her that farmers have already utilised Rs36 billion through the Kissan Card to buy agricultural inputs, and Rs22 billion in loans have been...