The current monsoon rains would have a positive impact over major kharif crops'' production including sugarcane, rice and cotton. A senior official of Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNS&R) told Business Recorder that ongoing rains would have a positive impact on both high delta kharif crops including sugarcane, rice and maize and low delta kharif notably cotton. Heavy rains have not been reported in the cotton belt of the country, and hence so far the crop has not been damaged.
The official pointed out that if heavy rains occur in the cotton belt it would have a negative impact on its output as rain causes various diseases in cotton crop. Large standing water for more than 24 hours was not beneficial for the cotton crop, he said.
The government had set 14.37 million bales of cotton production target from an area of 7.3 million acres for 2018-19, but due to shortfall in sowing, officials are pessimistic about achievement of the production target.
The country missed cotton production target of 14.04 million bales as well as revised target of 12.6 million bales set for 2017-18 by around 7 percent as production was recorded at 11.5 million bales.
According to weather advisory issued for farmers by the Pakistan Meteorological Department''s National Agromet Centre (NAC), farmers are advised to take necessary measures to protect the standing crops and vegetables from damaging effects of varying weather patterns due to monsoon systems.
PMD also advised cotton growers to take necessary measures as accumulation of stagnant water in the fields due to heavy rains is fatal for standing crops like cotton. Farmers of rain-fed areas were also advised to take measures to preserve rain water for crops and livestock.
The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) for Kharif season 2018-19 had fixed sugarcane production target for year 2018-19 at 68.157 million tons from an area of 2.37 million acres; and fixed paddy production target at 7 million tons from an area of 6.4 million acres.
Rice is a major kharif crop and it''s sowing has just begun this month, which requires good water supply. Water supply improved with the current monsoon spell and would help achieve the production target of 7.2 million tons.
Rice is an important food as well as cash crop. After wheat, it is the second main staple food crop and the second major exportable commodity, contributing 3.1 percent of value added to agriculture and 0.6 percent to GDP.
Maize is the third most important cereal crop, contributing 2.2 percent to the value added in agriculture and 0.4 percent to GDP. Maize production target has been fixed at 5.301 million tons for kharif 2018-19, and good water supply would have a positive impact on the crop output.
According to the weather forecast issued by PMD for the next 24 hours rain-thundershowers with gusty winds are expected at scattered places in Malakand, Hazara, Bannu, D I khan, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faislabad divisions and Islamabad and at isolated places in Peshawar, Zhob, D G khan divisions, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. Hot and humid weather is expected elsewhere in the country.
During the last 24 hours, rain occurred in Joarabad 103 mm, Okara 58mm, Kamra 47 mm, Rawalpindi (Chaklala 44 mm, Shamsabad 03 mm), Sahiwal 39 mm, Noor.pur Thal 33 mm, Islamabad (Saidpur 33 mm, Bokra 26 mm, Golra 10 mm), Jhang 29 mm, M.B din 19 mm, Sargodha 14 mm, Mangla 11 mm, Jhelum 07 mm, Faislabad 01 mm, Risalpur 36 mm, Lower Dir 35 mm, Kakul 21 mm, Kohat 20 mm, Peshawar 17 mm, Malamjabba 13 mm, Kalam 09 mm, Dir 03 mm, Balakot 02 mm, Saidu Sharif 01 mm, Bagrot 12 mm, Gilgit, Bunji 07 mm, Chillas 04 mm, Gupis 03 mm, Astore 01 mm, Barkhan 11 mm, and Muzaffarabad 01 mm.