Punjab wheat sowing short of target by 2mln acres

LAHORE: Owing to extreme water scarcity and a delay in sugarcane crushing, wheat sowing in Punjab province stands short by as many as two million acres against the target, following the lapse of extended optimal sowing deadline, an official said on Saturday.

“Wheat sowing is expected to complete during the month of December as wheat was sown over 15.2 million acres of land till December 13, 2018, which is 95 percent of the total targeted area,” the official told The News.

Out of the national area and production target of 21.74 million acres and 25.6 million tons, respectively, for the year 2018-19, Punjab was assigned to sow wheat on 16 million acres of land and produce 19.5 million tons of output with a per acre yield of 32.70 maund (40kg). The province accounts for around 80 percent of grain production in the country.

According to official figures, against the cultivation target, wheat was sown on 14 million acres till November 30, depicting a 12 percent decrease against the target.

Earlier, November 20 was considered as the optimal time of wheat sowing in the province. However, due to climate change and lesser rains in early Rabi period, now wheat sowing, up to November 30, is being considered to produce an optimum level of yield.

The water paucity was one of the main factors hindering crop sowing in the province. In accordance with the hydrological conditions, advisory committee of Indus River System Authority (IRSA) estimated a shortfall of 38 percent during ongoing Rabi season.

Punjab was allotted 12 million acres feet (MAF) of water out of total 23.32 MAF. Hence, non-perennial canals of the province did not get any water during winter.

The official further said a slight improvement was observed in the wheat farming compared to last year’s trend due to early cotton and rice harvesting this year. “The cotton crop was terminated early as the crop size was not relatively large coupled with the fact that farmers were getting very attractive price,” he added.

Delayed crushing by the powerful sugar mill owners did hit wheat sowing in the province, the official said and added farmers were deprived of money they used to earn by selling sugarcane, which helped them buy inputs for the next crop.

On the availability of fertiliser, the official said the urea supply for Rabi crop was stated to be satisfactory.

“By commencement of Rabi in October, as all urea plants were operating at full capacity, a total 665,000 tons of urea was available in the market with opening stock of 110,000 tons,” he said.

The official added that after meeting requirements of Rabi, it was projected that the closing stock would be around 205,000 tons as government also ensured the import of urea well in time. The higher use of phosphatic and potassic fertilizers will definitely help in boosting yield of wheat, he said.

The official admitted that despite government's efforts, most of the sugar mills didn't start crushing by December 10 despite the fact that they were bound to do so by third week of November.

“Delay in crushing suits mills as sucrose contest ratio increases as the cane loses [water] weight, benefitting the millers directly,” he said and observed the millers fully get advantage from sugar markets dynamics.

Meanwhile, the provincial Agriculture Department has advised the farmers to go for sunflower plantation instead of late sowing of wheat as it offers handsome return, while it also weighed in that a considerable volume of wheat is available in the country from the last year’s crop.

Wheat is the largest grain crop and main staple diet of most of the population. It contributes 9.1 percent to the value added in agriculture and 1.7 percent to national GDP.