Wheat production target likely to be missed

Pakistan is likely to miss wheat production target of 25 million tons set for the current fiscal year 2011-12. It is likely to produce 24.03 million tons. "According to satellite based wheat crop estimates, for Rabi season 2011-12 released by Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), wheat was cultivated on over 9210.1 hectares and country is likely to produce 24.03 million tons of wheat against the set target of 25 million tons", official documents available with Business Recorder revealed.
According to Suparco estimates wheat was cultivated on 6621 hectares in Punjab and is likely to produce 18.34 million tons against the set target of 19.2m tons. In Sindh wheat was cultivated on 1482.2 hectares and is likely to produce 3.733 million tons against the set target of 3.5 million tons.
Wheat was cultivated on 757.9 hectares in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is likely to produce 1.211m tons against the set target of 1.5 million tons. Wheat was cultivated on 394.0 thousand hectares in Balochistan and is likely to produce 0.744m tons against the set target of 0.8 million tons.
An official of the Food Security and Research Ministry said that though the target of 25 million tons of wheat production seems not to be achieved still over 24 million tons would be enough for the whole year as Pakistan''s annual wheat consumption is around 21.7 million tons. He added Pakistan would have 2.3 million tons of surplus wheat which could be exported.