LAHORE: Punjab government has claimed to achieve record wheat production of over 20.9 million metric tons from an area of over 16.1 million acres thus recording an average production of 31.5 maund per acres.

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar through a tweet congratulated the growers of Punjab over this historic production and attributed this achievement to the announcement of support price well before the sowing started. He said that this helped to convince the growers to bring maximum area under wheat cultivation.

Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jehanian Gardezi in a media talk termed the historic production as a result of untiring efforts by the growers and agricultural scientists. He said that the agriculture reforms programme launched by the federal and provincial governments is providing unprecedented relief to the growers. The government is trying that growers get full payment for their crop this year so as they are encouraged to get the bumper crop in future too.

He also said that the government would make all-out efforts that no shortage of flour and other eatables could surface after achieving bumper wheat crop. He said that growers are being given a historic subsidy through Kissan card under which over one million growers would get Rs5 billion as subsidy in a transparent manner. He said that research over developing new seed varieties for different crops including wheat and cotton is underway.

Hussain Jehanian Gardezi said that wheat growers got an incentive in the shape of an increase in wheat support price from 1400 per maund to Rs1800 per maund. Replying to queries, he said that growers in the history of the country are providing direct subsidy through Kissan card while during last year 950,000 growers took benefit of subsidy on fertilizers and seed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021