Wheat sowing in Punjab increases 2pc

ISLAMABAD: Wheat sowing in Punjab and Balochistan provinces during Rabi Season 2020-21 increased by 2 percent and 1 percent respectively as compared the cultivation of corresponding period of last year.

However, according the initial estimates of Provincial Crop Reporting Services, grains sowing in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa decreased by 1 percent and 3 percent respectively.

The wheat sowing has been completed over 96.94 percent of the set targets in Punjab which is the largest grain producing province of the country, said Food Security Commissioner in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research Dr Imtiaz Ahmad Gopang.

While talking to APP here on Wednesday, he said that in Punjab, wheat cultivation had been completed over 6.359 million hectares as against the set targets of 6.560 million hectares.

However, he said that wheat sowing in Sindh had witnessed about 1 percent decrease as compared to the cultivation of same period of last year.

In Sindh, wheat cultivation had been completed over 68.83 percent as crop was sown over 0.826 million hectares as against the set targets of 1.200 million hectares during the season, he added.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wheat had been cultivated over 0.573 million hectares as against the set targets of 0.900 million hectares, he said adding that crop sowing in province witnessed about 3 percent negative growth as compared the same period of last year.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wheat sowing targets had been achieved by 66.67 percent, he said adding that crop sowing was still in progress in rain fed areas and it was expected that it would gain momentum and more areas would come under crop production by end of current month.

Food Security Commissioner further informed that wheat sowing in Balochistan had witnessed about 01 percent increase as crop had been sown over 0.445 hectares as against the set targets of 0.550 million hectares.

In Balochistan, he said that crop sowing targets were achieved by 80.90 percent as against the set targets, adding that after increase in minimum supports price by the government, crop sowing witnessed encouraging trend during current season.

It may be recalled that Federal Committee on Agriculture had set wheat cultivation targets at 9.210 million hectares during crop season 2020-21 in order to fulfill the domestic requirements as well as for exporting.