PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE: Pakistan is the fourth largest producer of chickpeas in the world and has a huge potential to export potatoes to the Middle East.
This was revealed in the Punjab Food Outlook Report 2018 that was launched at a ceremony in Lahore on Wednesday. Minister for Agriculture Malik Nauman Ahmed Langrial launched the report.
The report has been prepared in response to a request from the Punjab government with the technical support provided by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), following the lines of FAO’s Global Food Outlook.
Punjab produces 84% of gram or chickpeas, 77% of wheat and 95% of potato - three key Rabi crops of the country’s total production, according to the Punjab Food Outlook Report 2018. This report also provides a forecast for the cultivated area, yield and production levels for wheat, potato and gram across different agro-ecological zones of Punjab.
These three crops use around 80% of the crop area during the Rabi cropping season. Welcoming the participants, FAO Representative in Pakistan Minà Dowlatchahi said the report provides timely and accurate data that would enable the government, extension workers and small farmers to make informed and evidence-based decisions by monitoring food supply, demand and other key indicators. She said it would eventually help reduce poverty and improve food security and nutrition in Pakistan.
Langrial termed the report as the dawn of a new era for agriculture in Punjab and appreciated the efforts of FAO and IFPRI in its preparation.
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