Punjab may suffer a loss of Rs 101 billion owing to the considerable reduction in the production of wheat, cotton and gram, which is mainly attributed to the poor monitoring and mismanagement of the government. Ibrahim Mughal, Chairman Agri Forum while talking exclusively to Business Recorder said.
"The production target of wheat was 19.2 million tons for the current fiscal year, but 17.7 million tons was produced. The 1.5 million tons reduction in the total production of wheat is equal to the loss of Rs 39.27 billion," he said. The share of Punjab in the overall agriculture is about 80 percent. "If the two major crops of the country - cotton and wheat - show considerable reduction in production in the province, it would leave dire impact on the overall agricultural productivity of Pakistan," the chairman said.
The production of cotton is likely to face reduction in overall production in Punjab. "Cotton has been sown on 5.2 million acres that is one million acres less than the target set by the government, which was 6.2 million acres. One million acres reduction in cotton sowing area is equal to the loss of about Rs 40 billion," Mughal added. The chief factors that have led to the reduction in production of the crops in Punjab are: lack of proper management in distribution of fertilisers especially urea at the time of sowing, delay in announcement of proper procurement policy and shortage of water for irrigation, Mughal said.