Though rains had delayed wheat harvest by about a fortnight last month yet 95 percent harvest has now been completed in Punjab, Director General agriculture extension services Dr Anjum Ali told Business Recorder here on Friday. He said that a reasonably long dry and hot weather spell had enabled the growers to complete the harvest mechanically and manually since the late April.
He said wheat crop had been sown over 16.6 million acres in the province this year with a production target of 19 million tons. "According to farmers' reports, per acre yield is 5 to 10 percent more than the last year, he added. However, according to FAO estimates wheat harvest in Pakistan in 2011 is expected to be 24 million tons, a three percent increase over 23.3 million tons in 2010. Meanwhile, wheat procurement drive of Punjab Food Department and Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) is in full swing in the province.
Punjab government has allocated Rs 8.5 billion for about 4 million ton wheat procurement in the province. It had procured 1.7 million tons wheat till May 13 and was providing gunny bags to the farmers to bring their produce to the procurement centres. It hopes to complete its procurement campaign by early next month.
The Federal Government has assigned Passco to procure 1.5 million tonnes of wheat during the current year. The Corporation has set up 180 procurement centres in fifteen tehsils of Punjab. It has so far purchased 0.5 million tons wheat from the farmers at the rate of Rs 950 per maund plus Rs 7 per 100 kg as delivery charges. Dr Ali who is supervising cotton sowing in south Punjab said that farmers are very busy to complete cotton over the wheat vacated fields as early as possible to get better and early yield.