Growers urged to cultivate wheat on maximum area

LAHORE: Farmers should complete wheat cultivation on maximum area by November 20, said Director General Agriculture Extension Dr Anjum Ali while addressing a farmers’ convention at Sahiwal district in connection with the campaign to grow more wheat for the awareness of farmers.

In Sahiwal Division wheat cultivation was done on an area 0.840 million acre which yielded an average yield of 36 maunds per acre during last year, he added.

He said that in order to make wheat profitable, the support price has been increased to Rs 3000 per 40 kg before sowing so that farmers can cultivate wheat as a profitable crop on maximum area. He urged the farmers to cultivate wheat on maximum area in Sahiwal division as a national duty.

The Director General Agriculture Extension said that the workers of the agricultural extension are helping and guiding the farmers in every possible way in the field with the support of the students of the agricultural universities.

In Sahiwal division, 1,596 male and female students are participating in this campaign. On this occasion, Director Agriculture Extension Sahiwal Division Ch Shehbaz Akhtar said in his address that timely cultivation of wheat on maximum area is being ensured through stimulation among the farmers so that the food security situation in the country will be improved by the additional production of wheat.

So far, wheat has been cultivated on an area of more than 0.288 million acres in Sahiwal division and media vans are also being used in the field along with print and electronic media to inform the farmers about modern production technology. Besides, subsidies are being provided to wheat farmers on approved varieties of seeds, herbicides and modern machinery to increase production per acre to meet the country’s needs. To increase the production of wheat per acre, Punjab Government has ensured the supply of 90 lakh bags of 15 new varieties of wheat to the farmers. A special subsidy of Rs. 1200 per bag has been provided to reduce the production cost of the farmers per acre, he said.

He urged the farmers to ensure the cultivation of wheat in this month.

On this occasion, Dr Saeed Iqbal, agronomist of the private company, shed light on the balanced use of fertilisers in the wheat crop and recommended the farmers to plant wheat. The balance of phosphorous and nitrogenous fertilizers in the crop was taken care of.

A large number of officers and farmers of the Agriculture Department including the Director of Agriculture Extension Sahiwal Division Chaudhry Shehbaz Akhtar, Deputy Director of Agricultural Information Punjab Naveed Asmat Kahloon along with other officers and a large number of farmers participated in the convention.