Farmers asked to complete wheat sowing before Nov 15

KARACHI: Farmers of rain-dependent and irrigated areas of Punjab and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa should complete wheat sowing before Nov 15 to get maximum yield, the Met Office advised.

In the fresh farmers’ advisory, the office says wheat cultivation was under way in parts of the country, and warned the growers of delayed crop cultivation could result in loss of yield.

“The crop may be cultivated after this date [Nov 15] but considerable loss is expected due to low moisture content of the soil and rising temperatures in the months of March and April,” it adds.

It suggests the farmers of irrigated plains of Punjab and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa to sow varieties of wheat to scale down the loss yield, in case the cultivation delays.

It shows fears the wheat cultivation in the inundated parts of Sindh may be affected because the flood water is still stagnant there. It says the stagnant water which is expected to remain in these areas even after January next year is feared to affect wheat yield.

The office forecasts rain-dust/thunderstorm, with isolated heavy falls in scattered places of Balochistan, particularly along the Makran coast from Nov 1 to Nov 3 2011.

Sindh, it says, may also receive rain-dust/thunderstorm at scattered places particularly in southern Sindh from Nov 2 to Nov 4, 2011.

“Scattered rain rain-dust/thunderstorm is also likely in upper Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and upper Punjab from 3rd to 4th November 2011. Scattered rain-thundershower is also likely at scattered places of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan from 1st to 7th November 2011,” the forecaster says in its 10-day farmers’ advisory.

It says temperature at night is likely to be below normal in most parts of Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, Malakand, Hazara and Rawalpindi divisions from Nov 1 to Nov 10. “Parts of Sindh and Balochistan may also experience below normal temperatures from 2nd to 7th November 2011,” the advisory indicates.

Strong gusty winds and dust-storm are likely to hit parts of Balochistan and Sindh from Nov 1 to Nov 5, 2011 and parts of upper Punjab and upper Khyber Pukhtunkhwa may also receive gusty winds from Nov 3 to Nov 5 2011