Wheat sowing increases 2.88pc

ISLAMABAD   –   Wheat cultivation across the country had witnessed about 2.88 per cent growth as compared to the sowing of the crop during the corresponding period of last year.

The sowing during current Rabi season has been completed over 9.061 million hectares as against the set targets of 9.210 million hectares set to tackle with the domestic staple food requirements as well as for exporting. Crop cultivation during current season witnessed encouraging trend as crop sowing completed over 98.38 per cent of the fixed area for Rabi Season 2020-21, Food Security Commissioner in Ministry of National Food Security and Research Dr Imtiaz Ahmed Gopang said.

Talking to APP here on Tuesday he said that momentum in wheat cultivation was attributed to favourable weather conditions, availability of inputs including seeds, fertilizers and agriculture credit, adding that timely interventions by the government like increase in minimum support price for growers and different incentives under Rabi package were the other factor that resulted in growth in crop cultivation.

Food Security Commissioner further said that according to the estimates of Provincial Crop Reporting Services wheat cultivation had been completed over 9.061 million hectares across crop-producing areas in the country as against the set targets of 9.210 million hectares. Meanwhile, wheat sowing in Punjab had witnessed about 2.60 per cent increase as compared to the sowing of last year as wheat had been grown over 6.684 million hectares against the set targets of 6.560 million hectares, he added.

In Sindh, he said that crop production targets had been achieved by 99.30 per cent as sowing completed on 1.192 million hectares against the fixed targets of 1.200 million hectares. Wheat cultivation in Sindh during Rabi season witnessed about 0.70 per cent increase as compared to the sowing of last season, he added. According to the estimates grains sowing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also grew by one per cent respectively as grain cultivation witnessed significant growth in rain-fed areas of both provinces, he added.

The wheat sowing has been completed over 80 per cent of KP and 84.55 per cent of Balochistan provinces, adding that 0.72 million hectares put under wheat cultivation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the set targets of 0.900 million hectares and 0.465 million hectares in Balochistan as compared the fixed target of 0.550 million hectares during the season, he added. It may be recalled that the Federal Committee on Agriculture had set wheat cultivation targets at 9.210 million hectares during crop season 2020-21 to fulfil the domestic requirements as well as for exporting.

Article source: https://nation.com.pk/13-Jan-2021/wheat-sowing-increases-2-88pc