Prospects are bright for achieving a good wheat crop this season, Wheat Commissioner, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Dr Shakeel Ahmad Khan said on Saturday.
Talking to PTV, he said a number of steps had been taken for achieving a bumper wheat crop. Sufficient supply of Urea and DAP was ensured. The estimated need of Urea was 2.7 million tonnes while the supply was 2.8 million tonnes, he added.
The country needs 714,000 tonnes DAP while arrangements have been made for availability of one million tonnes DAP. This year 33 percent more water was available for crops as compared to the last year, he said.
Wheat commissioner said, the exact targets of wheat production would be announced after a week.
For enhancing awareness among farmers an effective campaign was launched. It is hoped it would contribute in enhancing production. The farmers showing enhanced production would be awarded various prizes, he said.
Minimum procurement targets have already been conveyed to the provinces. Punjab, Sindh and Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Supply Corporation (Passco) have been asked to procure 3 million, 0.7 million and 1.3 million tonnes of wheat respectively. Efforts were underway to further enhance quality of seeds, he added.