The government has fixed 26 million tons wheat production target for 2015-16 same as that of last year's following surplus wheat stock and difficulties in the export of the commodity owing to low commodity prices in the global market. Sikandar Hayat Bosan, Minister for National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R), told a press conference after presiding over the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) meeting for Rabi 2015-16 that the committee has fixed wheat production target at 26.0 million tons from an area of 8.980 million hectares due to surplus wheat stock and difficulties in the export of the commodity due to depressed prices of wheat in the international market and enhanced wheat supplies at global level.
"Out of 26 million tons, Punjab will produce 19.5 million tons, Sindh 4.2 million tons, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa 1.4 million tons and Balochistan 0.9 million tons," he said. About the wheat stock situation in the country, he said that country has 8.695 million tons wheat stock and last year it was 6.951 million tons during the same period. According to a working paper of the FCA meeting, out of 8.696 million tons, Punjab has 4.919 million tons, Sindh 1.574 million tons, KP 0.366 million tons, Balochistan 0.197 million tons and Passco 1.639 million tons.
He said the certified wheat seed availability would be 26.1 percent of the total seed requirement of the crop in 2015-16 while during 2014-15 total seed availability stood at 34.6 percent of the total seed requirement. The minister said the FCA also fixed production targets of other crops including gram, lentil, onion and potato. He said the committee was informed that irrigation water availability position for current Rabi season (2015-16) was estimated at 25.27 million acres feet (MAF) against the average usage of 23.67 MAF for the season.
The committee also discussed the position of supply of agriculture inputs for the Rabi crops. He said the provincial representatives of agriculture department emphasised that adequate supply of urea, and phosphatic fertilisers during December and January was crucial for achieving the said target. Bosan said the committee also reviewed the performance of Kharif crops for 2014-15 including sugarcane, rice, maize, chillies and moong. The minister said that sugarcane production for 2015 was estimated at 65.472 million tons from an area of 1136.2 thousands hectares.
According to the working paper of the FCA, as per final estimates of provincial agriculture departments, sugarcane production is 62.826 million tons - 4.0 percent less than the target due to below achievement of 1.7 and 2.3 in area and yield. He said rice production target for 2014-15 was estimated around 6.72 million tons from an area of 2.7 million hectares. However, he said the country will not achieve cotton production this year due to heavy rainfall and diseases.
The representative from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) informed the meeting that allocation of institutional credit for agriculture had substantially increased to Rs 600 billion for 2015-16 in comparison with 2014-15 level of Rs 515.9 billion. The minister said due to surplus sugarcane, rice and wheat, farmers are facing problems. The meeting stressed on devising a plan for shifting formers to other crops such as gram, lentil in order to avert the situation which the farmers are currently facing, he added. He said that the Food Security Council (FSC) headed by the prime minister has been set up. The chief ministers of four provinces will be the member of the FSC, he added.
The meeting was also attended by the representatives of provincial agriculture departments, Indus River System Authority (IRSA), Pakistan Metrological Department, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Zarai Taraqqiati Bank Ltd (ZTBL), National Fertiliser Development Centre (NFDC), Agriculture Policy Institute (API), Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department, Department of Plant Protection (DPP), Federal Water Management, Pakistan Oil Seed Board, Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Co-operation (Passco), senior official of MNFS&R and chairman Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC).
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