Wheat output expected to fall this season

The dry spell has virtually destroyed the crop.

HARIPUR:

Local agriculturalists are sceptical about achieving the wheat yield target after a long dry spell has nearly destroyed the crop, stating that farmers will face drastic losses if rains remain elusive.

“Farmers stand to lose potential income from the crop as well as all their inputs including seeds, labour and fertiliser,” Executive District Officer Agriculture Sadiq Hussain told The Express Tribune on Sunday. Farmers of unirrigated land who chose to sow wheat in mid-October have already given the first dose of fertiliser to the crop which will need another dose within 25 days. But according to Shah, lack of rainfall coupled with frost has practically burnt the crop.

District Officer Agriculture Zulfiqar Ahmed added that while the crop yield last year was satisfactory, delayed rainfall will adversely impact the crop, because plants were affected at the germination stage and would be too frail to sustain heavy rainfall. This would result in lighter and smaller grains compared to the yield of earlier years.

This year, growers have cultivated wheat on 37,761 hectares, including 32,631 hectares of unirrigated land and 5,130 hectares of irrigated land. According to estimates by agricultural authorities, a wheat yield of 67,321 tons is expected, some 51,776 tons from unirrigated land and 15,545 tons from irrigated land.

Four species of wheat seed, Batoor, Zaam, Pir Sabaak, Sehar and Pir Ukaab, are mainly sown in Haripur district, out of which the last two  have been developed locally.

There are 32,789 hectares of irrigated land and 52,282 hectares of unirrigated land in Haripur.

A population of one million in Haripur requires between eight to 10 million kilogrammes of wheat flour per month, according to sources in the food department.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2012.