Over 99pc wheat sowing targets achieved, set to harvest bumper crop

ISLAMABAD: The country has achieved over 99 percent wheat sowing targets set for the current Rabi crop season 2015-16 and is expecting to harvest a bumper crop this year.

The timely rains, favorable weather conditions and availability of all major inputs including certified seeds, fertilizers and water for irrigation has attributed in augmented the crop sowing, said an official of Ministry of National Food Security and Research here on Thursday.

Talking to APP, he said timely rains and announcement of support price for wheat crop has also encouraged the growers of rain fed areas for bringing more areas under crop cultivation.

He said that wheat, a major cash crop of the season which fulfills the domestic food requirements, had been cultivated over 8.871 million hectares as against the set targets of 8.9 million hectares.

He said, the Punjab Province has achieved 99 percent sowing targets set for the current season as wheat has been cultivated over 6.6 million hectare.

The Sindh Province has achieved 100 percent of grain sowing as it has cultivated the crop over 1.1 million hectares as compared to the set targets for the season, he added.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the wheat crop sowing has surpassed the targets and achieved over 101 percent of sowing targets by sowing the crop over 0.756 hectares, he added.

The Balochistan Province, he said, has achieved 83 percent of the crop sowing adding that crop sowing expected to further increase in the province as details are yet to receive from the field formations.

He said, up to now, crop outlook is very well and upto the mark as reported by the field formations and it is expected that country would again harvest a bumper crop.

It is worth mentioning here the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) had fixed wheat production target at 26 million tons from an area of 8.980 million hectares.

Out of 26 million tons, Punjab will produce 19.5 million tons, Sindh 4.2 million tons, Khyber Pakhtukhwa (KP) 1.4 million tons and Balochistan 0.9 million tones.