Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) has set production targets of 761.28 thousand tons for gram and 23.95 thousand tons for lentil (Masoor) pulses to be sown over an area of 1120.74 and 45.24 thousand hectares, respectively, during 2007-08.
The government has also announced invention price at Rs 850/40 kg and Passco has been advised to procure about 100,000 tons of gram each year as buffer stock, sources told Business Recorder here on Friday.
They said the gram production target for 2006-07 was set at 706.5 thousand tons from 1051.1 thousand hectares, which was easily met as the area under cultivation was 1074.49 thousand hectare and production 848.30 thousand tons.
They said gram is a major pulse and is mainly grown in Thal and Barani areas. It is sown on marginal lands with minimal use of improved inputs as quality seed, fertiliser and pesticides.
They admitted that the area and production of lentil is declining for the last few years. The area under lentil for 2004-05 was 43.4 thousand hectares with production of 25.9 thousand tons.
They informed the targets of area and production for 2006-07 could not be met as the area under lentil during the year was 38.26 thousand hectares against fixed target of 40.1 thousand hectares and production was 21.06 thousand tons against the target of 22.2 thousand tons.