Excessive rains in Punjab may damage wheat, gram crops

The current rain spell would damage wheat and gram crops in the Punjab as, in most parts of the province, these crops have not yet matured. Punjab is biggest wheat producing province in Pakistan and produces nearly 80 percent of Pakistan's total wheat output annually. This year the government had set a countrywide wheat production target of 25 million tons.
Wheat production target for Punjab was set at 19.2 million tons and the province would achieve more than 18.7 million tons, while the wheat production target for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was set at 1.2 million tons where it would be achieved due to favorable weather. According to Met office more thunderstorm/rains with gusty winds are expected in Northeastern Balochistan, upper Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Punjab, including Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Kashmir during the next 24-48 hours.
Day temperatures would likely remain 24 degrees centigrade - well below normal in most parts of the country. The possibility of isolated hail-storm in the sub-mountainous areas of KPK and North Punjab during Monday/Tuesday cannot be ruled out, Met office report said.
Dr Shakeel, Wheat Commissioner of Agriculture Ministry, said that usually excessive rains during April-May are harmful for wheat crop, but current rains would have no negative impact on wheat output as in many parts of the province crop is still green and it needs some water. However, he added that if rains continued for the next few weeks it would damage the crop.
Shakeel said that in Sindh province wheat harvesting is almost completed where wheat production would be around 3.2 to 3.4 million tons. Ibrahim Mughal Chairman AgriForum Pakistan when contacted said that recent rains may damage 2-3 lakh tons of wheat as in some parts of the country wheat is being harvested in May.
He said that according to the MET office, these rains will continue till 14-15 April. He said, "Wheat production target was fixed at 25 million tons but it is expected to be 24.4 million tons. Mild weather in March has helped in the enhancement of wheat production. Without the favorable weather, it was not possible at all to achieve wheat production of more than 23 million tons for the year 2010-11".
Wheat production target for Sindh was fixed at 3.6 million tons while the government is expecting to achieve 3.5 million tons from Sindh, Mughal added. Wheat harvesting starts from Thatha and Badin from the first week of March, then it reaches Sukhur and Rohri, and in mid of March harvesting starts in Southern Punjab's districts of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajan Pur. Mughal revealed that wheat harvesting in Central Punjab and upper Punjab starts in mid April, while in (KPK) it starts end of April.