LAHORE: The wheat cultivation target for Punjab has been set at 16.50 million acres and all resources are being utilised to achieve an output of 21 million metric tons (MMT) this year. The support price has been increased to Rs3,000 per 40kg so that farmers view wheat as a profitable crop and cultivate it over maximum areas.
So said Punjab’s Minister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jehanian Gardezi while addressing a farmers’ convention held in Kabirwala town of Khanewal district in connection with the wheat cultivation campaign.
He said that wheat crop is indispensable for achieving food security and in this context the role of Punjab is vital because the province normally produces about 75 percent of the country’s total wheat output.
To ensure more wheat production this year, agricultural extension workers and students of agriculture universities are supporting the farmers in the field in a national spirit to ensure the country’s food security.
The provincial minister further said that last year wheat was cultivated on an area of about 0.531 million acres in Khanewal district, from which 0.792MMT of wheat was produced. The farmers this year are likely to increase the production by cultivating wheat on more areas in Khanewal.
For his part, the agriculture secretary for South Punjab said that the agriculture department is determined to enhance the cultivation and production of wheat. Farmers should take full advantage of the facilities available so that wheat can become a profitable crop.
Punjab’s Director General of Agriculture Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali said that his department is engaged in providing technical guidance to the farmers and training programmes are being organised for them. Conventions and seminars are also being organised at the division and district levels, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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