Last year, the support price was Rs1,300 per 40 kg and this year it is likely to remain the same. PHOTO: APP
LAHORE: Pakistan is likely to achieve its wheat production target for the Rabi 2016-17 sowing season as it is the only cash crop on which farmers can heavily bank on in order to sustain their livelihood, farmer lobbies say.
However, the supply of water for irrigation is a primary concern in the wake of dry weather prediction for coming months. It is feared that water supply could be 20% lower than the previous year.
“If we analyse the agriculture sector’s performance over the past three years, it will be evident that rice, cotton and sugarcane growers have borne hefty losses,” said Ibrahim Mughal, chairman of the Agri Forum Pakistan, while talking to The Express Tribune.
“Farmers don’t have any choice but to go for wheat cultivation in order to earn their livelihood. Subsidy on inputs such as fertiliser and lower diesel prices are some of the incentives that encourage farmers to opt for the staple wheat crop.”
The Federal Committee on Agriculture has set the wheat production target for the 2016-17 season at 26.01 million tons compared to 25.50 million tons in the previous year.
This year, wheat has been planted on a slightly lower area totalling 22.53 million acres, down 1.43% from last year’s 22.85 million acres.
Of this, the crop in Punjab has been sown over 16.5 million acres and in Sindh it covers 3.5 million acres. The remaining area has been cultivated in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
While the Meteorological Department has forecast less rainfall and estimated availability of 30.34 million acre feet (MAF) of water against average consumption of 36.3 MAF, Food Security and Research Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan claims the shortfall will not impact the wheat crop.
The farmers, however, think otherwise. “We may face water shortage in the current Rabi season, which could make things worse for the farmers,” said Kisan Board Pakistan representative Haji Ramazan.
“We are still coping with load-shedding in rural areas; this means farmers may not get the required water. Our only hope is rain and if weather remains dry things could further deteriorate.”
In order to shield farmers from shocks and ensure a steady income source, the government announces wheat support price every year.
Last year, the support price was Rs1,300 per 40 kg and this year it is likely to remain the same. International wheat prices stand at around Rs1,125 per 40 kg.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2016.
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