Potatoes to be cultivated over 465.4 thousand hectares, onions 216.8, tomatoes at 65.6 thousand hectares

• During the current Rabi season, the production targets for potatoes were fixed at 4,869 thousand metric tons
• Onion at 2,105.9 thousand tons, where as tomatoes production fixed at 600.9 thousand tons
• Meanwhile, 11.8 thousand hectares of land was set for cultivating the onions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to produce about 690.5 thousand metric tons

ISLAMABAD: The country has set a target to cultivate potatoes over 465.4 thousand hectares of land, onion at 216.8 thousand hectares and tomatoes over 65.6 thousand hectares during Rabi season 2019-20 across the crop sowing areas of the country to fulfill the domestic consumption as well as for exporting.

During the current Rabi season, the production targets for potatoes were fixed at 4,869 thousand metric tons, onion at 2,105.9 thousand tons, where as tomatoes production fixed at 600.9 thousand tons to tackle with the local requirement, said an official in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

Talking to APP here on Monday, he said according the minor crop production plan for current Rabi, in Punjab potatoes to be cultivated over 460 thousand hectares for producing over 4,800 thousand metric tons, Sindh has assign task to cultivate potatoes over 0.7 thousand hectares to produce 5.85 thousand metric tons of potatoes and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2.2 thousand hectares would put under potatoes cultivation for producing about 35.5 thousand metric tons.

He said onion to be cultivated over 115 thousand hectares to produce over 440 thousand metric tons onion and Sindh would grow onions over 56 thousand hectares to produce 747.6 thousand metric tons.

Meanwhile, 11.8 thousand hectares of land was set for cultivating the onions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to produce about 690.5 thousand metric tons and in Balochistan it would be cultivated 34 thousand hectares to produce over 680 thousand metric tons respectively, he added.

The official said that tomatoes would be grown over 22 thousand hectares in Punjab where its output was fixed at 140 thousand metric tons, Sindh 30 thousand hectares with production of 210 thousand tons and Balochistan 10.5 thousand hectares to produce 180 thousand metric tons.