ISLAMABAD: The country is unlikely to achieve the agriculture growth target of 3.5 percent set for 2021-22, after revising downward the cotton production target from 10.5 million bales to 8.46 million bales.
A senior official of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) told Business Recorder that cotton production target was revised downward, after missing the sowing target by 13.4 percent due to which the country may not achieve agriculture growth target set for the current fiscal year.
Cotton crop stands vital in agriculture as well as value added textile sector and contributes around 0.6 percent to GDP and 3.1 percent of the value added in agriculture, the official added.
"It's too early to project whether the production targets of other crops including wheat, sugarcane, maize and some pulses, will be achieved as at this stage data is not available," said the official.
The country witnessed a record wheat production of 27.5 million tons last year and is projecting a bumper crop this year as well. The government is planning to fix the target at 30 million tons for wheat production for 2021-22 and has recommended provinces to increase overall area under cultivation, the official further said.
The MNFS&R has also asked provincial governments to finalise proposed minimum support price (MSP) for wheat crop for 2021-22 before the sowing season begins from end October, 2021. "The enhancement of MSP from Rs1400 to Rs1800 produced good results last year by bringing good returns for farmers," he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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