ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Meteorological Department (PDM) on Sunday predicted a good news for wheat growing farmers, saying that the weather system was expected to be ‘suitable’ for crop harvesting across the country.
“The recent rains have not put any negative impact on wheat crop as compared to previous years and I assume farmers would get better crop yields this year because of suitable weather in coming days,” a spokesman of PMD, Dr. Khalid Malik said.
In his exclusive telephonic talk with APP, he maintained that wheat harvesting had started in Sindh and in districts of South Punjab such as Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and some others areas of the region.
Similarly the harvesting would gradually get momentum in upper parts of Punjab province keeping in view of increasing temperature. However, the good news is that the harvesting wheat season would remain favourable and help meet targets and requirements. The government had set target of wheat production at 26.78 million ton for 2020-21 and to achieve this all out support to agriculture sector including subsidized fertilizers, pesticides and concessional lending to farmers were provided.
Meanwhile, when contacted a prominent farmer from district Layyah, Southern Punjab, Mahar Sami Ullha said,” Thanks to God the weather conditions this year are suitable for harvesting and threshing and which would ultimately help meet required yields per acre.”
“We pray the weather be remained as favourable as we are expecting and I am also quite optimistic about increased crop yield this year. The government has also increased the rate of wheat support price and fixed it Rs1, 800 per 40 kilo gram which I consider a reward for farmers,” he said.
“I am quite hopeful during this season the farmers would get reward of their hard work,” Mahar maintained.
Similarly, another farmer from Southern Punjab district Jhang, Ghulam Hussain in a telephonic conversation said because of increasing temperature in some areas, early harvesting of wheat crop had started in Punjab while harvesting would be initiated in rest of the areas of the province, provided the heat increases and most probably after Besakhi (around second week of April).—AFP