Farmers urged to ensure timely wheat cultivation

PESHAWAR: Former secretary of the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) and agriculture expert, Khan Faraz, said on Sunday that wheat, being the most crucial food grain in Pakistan, was cultivated more than other crops.

He advised farmers to adhere to the specified timeframe for wheat cultivation, highlighting the potential detrimental effects of rainfall during the harvesting stage on yield.

“Wheat holds the utmost importance as a food grain in the country and is grown on a larger scale compared to all other crops. Sowing it at the optimum time is essential, as delayed sowing leads to a gradual decline in yield,” Faraz said.

He said that wheat sowing for the 2024 crop had been completed in Punjab, while it is still ongoing in some areas, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.“Encouraged by high prices and timely rains in Punjab, farmers are advised by the Punjab Agriculture Department to cultivate approved varieties of wheat seeds within the stipulated time, ideally by the second week of December,” stated the agriculture expert.

The expanded cultivation of wheat is a positive indicator of the country’s food security. Faraz stated that sowing within the optimal period is another positive sign, setting the stage for yet another successful crop in Punjab. Nearly 94 percent of wheat sowing was completed in Punjab by the end of November, he said.

He identified artificial shortages and high fertiliser prices as another major challenge. “A good crop can’t be produced without the application of chemical fertilisers. Therefore, extra efforts are needed to ensure the availability of urea and DAP fertilisers to farmers at official prices,” he went on to add.

He said that climate change-related stresses in March and during the later stages of harvesting posed another challenge. Faraz explained that maintaining a temperature within the range of 30-32 degrees Celsius in March was ideal for providing maximum time for plant growth before maturity.