According to estimates of Indus River System Authority (IRSA) about 3.4 percent extra water would be available for sowing the wheat crop during the current season, said Chief Agriculture Policy Institute (API) Abdul Rauf Chaudhry.
Talking to APP here on Thursday he said that the Water availability during the Rabi season has been estimated about 30.4 Million Acre Feet (MAF) whcih is 3.4 percent higher than the last year and up by 7 percent as compared to the last year 7 years.
He informed that all the arrangements have been finalized for sowing the Rabi crops as the season starts from October and continues till March for sowing of different crops including wheat, mustard and other minor crops and vegetables to fulfill the domestic requirements.
About the fertilizers and pesticides availability, he said that about 2,996 thousand tons of urea fertilizer are available through out the season with 684 thousand tons carry forward stocks of last year.
According the estimates of National Fertilizer Development Company, out of the total required urea, 1900 thousand tons are domestic produce where as 412 thousand tons are get by import, he added.
The estimated off-take of urea will be about 3,000 tons thus the demand and supply position up to June 2013 is expected to remain comfortable depending upon the arrival of scheduled imports, he added.
He said that about 943 thousand tons of DAP would be available for Rabi 2012-13 with 227 thousand tons of opening stocks. Out of the total required quantum of the input 336 thousand tons are domestic production where as the remaining quantity will be fulfilled by import.
Rauf Chaudhry said that the expected off-take is likely 785 thousand tons during the current season for sowing the wheat crop. five years, he added.
Sufficient certified wheat seed at affordable rates are also available as country was receiving bumper crop from last four years and to control the herbicides attack on the crop private sector was also vigilant.
It may be recalled that wheat crop is cultivated over 75 percent areas in Punjab, 12 percent in Sindh, 8 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 4 percent area over Balochistan.
Out of the total wheat out put about 76 percent is produced in Punjab, while Sindh produce 16 percent, KP 5 percent and Balochistan produces 3 percent of total wheat produced across the country.
The API head informed that according the data received from the provinces normal sowing of wheat was recorded across the wheat sowing areas, however he said that normal rainfall during the period from January-March would help the country to achieve healthier crop.