ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday, set wheat production target at 28.9 tons for Rabi season 2021-22 on an area of 9.2 million hectares of land.
The wheat production target for the upcoming season was set in Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) meeting for Rabi season chaired by Minister for National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) Syed Fakhar Imam.
The meeting was informed that cotton production for 2021-22 is estimated at 9.37 million bales from an area of 1.9 million hectares, showing an increase of 19.8 percent in production over the last year.
However, the FCA held on April 8, 2021, fixed cotton crop production at 10.504 million but later in September this year, the target was revised downward to 8.46 million bales, after missing the sowing target of 13.4 percent.
The official said that out of 28.9 million tons of wheat, Punjab will produce 21.9 million tons, Sindh 4.2 million tons, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 1.5 million tons, and Balochistan 1.3 million.
The FCA reviewed the performance of Kharif crops (2020-21) and fixed targets for the Rabi season 2021-22.
Cotton output likely to surpass 8.46m bales
The meeting also reviewed prices of agriculture inputs including fertiliser, water, seed, and pesticides, said a senior official of the MNFS&R.
He said that the FCA also fixed production targets of other crops including grams at 559,000 tons from an area of 988000 hectares, lentil 8,900 tons from an area of 16,000 hectares, 6.02 million tons of potato from an area of 226,000 hectares, 2.4 million tons of onion from an area of 16,200 hectares, and 0.6 million tons of tomatoes from an area of 51,000 hectares for Rabi season.
The committee also reviewed the performance of Kharif crops for 2020-21 including sugarcane, rice, maize, chillies, and moong.
He said that the meeting was informed that out of 9.37 million bales of cotton production, Punjab is expected to 5.44 million bales, Sindh 3.50 million, Balochistan 0.43 million bales, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 0.004 million. The official said the meeting was informed that the estimated production of sugarcane for 2021-22is 87.67 million tons from an area of 1.2 million hectares, showing an increase of 8.7 percent and 8.2 percent in area and production, respectively, over the last year.
The rice production has also shown an increase of 5.8 percent over the last year as rice production for 2021-22 is estimated at 8.84 million tons from an area of 3.5 million hectares.
He said that the estimated maize production for 2021-22 is at 9.0 million tons from an area of 1.4 million hectares.
The mung bean production for 2021-22 is estimated at 267,000 tons from an area of 294,000 hectares, showing an increase of 27.3 percent and 30.8 percent,in area and production, respectively, over the last year.
Cotton production target revised downward
The official said that the meeting also discussed seed availability for Rabi crops and it is informed by director general (DG), Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD) that certified seed availability for the Rabi, 2021-22 will remain according to requirement.
He said that the meeting was informed that IRSA Advisory Committee has anticipated a shortfall of 28 percent.
The Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD) informed that rainfall for the country as whole for the monsoon season 2021 was close to climatic normal (-9 percent).
On a regional scale, it remained above normal over Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Balochistan, and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and below normal over the AJK, Punjab, and Sindh.
The official said that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has assigned annual indicative agricultural credit disbursement target of Rs1,700 billion for financial year 2021-22 to 49 institutions, which is 24.5 percent higher than last year's disbursement of Rs1,366.0 billion.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of provincial agriculture departments, the SBP, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL),National Fertiliser Development Center (NFDC), PMD, Indus River System Authority (ISRA), senior officers of the MNFS&R, and its attached departments.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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