'Wheat cultivated on 0.7mn acres less land'

LAHORE: Wheat has been cultivated on 0.7 million acres less land against the target of above 10 million acres land this year in Punjab.

These views were expressed by Pakistan Agri Forum Chairman Muhammad Ibrahim Mughal while talking to APP on Saturday. He feared that 1 million tonnes less wheat would be obtained due to lack of proper attention by the department concerned.

He said hike in prices of fertiliser, seeds and other agriculture inputs not only reduced their use but also affected agriculture growth.

Ibrahim Mughal said that it was the need of the time to update the agriculture department on modern lines so that Punjab could make progress like Sindh.

He alleged that Punjab agriculture department employees were running their own business in collaboration with private companies and also getting salaries from the government. He said that was why the production target of major crops could not be achieved.

He said that agriculture policies were not according to the needs of land and urged the Punjab government to review them to improve the sector.