Wheat production to surpass 27.5 million metric tons

News Report

Islamabad: Wheat Review Committee on Monday estimated total wheat production to exceed 27.5 million metric tons this year.

Wheat Review Committee on Wheat 2021-22 Crop held a meeting on Monday under the Chair Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for National Food Security & Research, Islamabad.

Representatives of all Provincial Food Departments, PASSCO, and senior officials of NFS&R attended the meeting.

The Minister welcomed the participants, thanked them for their participation, and invited them all to share their feedback and recommendations for developing wheat crops to ensure food security in the country.

The latest wheat production estimates, wheat stock positions, wheat carry forward discussed procurement progress, and updates on wheat release price and minimum support price.

Minister said that almost 50-60 lakh people are added to our population every year, increasing the country’s total demand for wheat. He said that by managing the controllable factors, including the availability of high-quality seed that is rust-resistant and certified, effective utilization of water, and proper usage of fertilizers and pesticides, the overall production of wheat can be significantly increased. He stressed that both the general area under cultivation and per hectare yield needs to be improved.

Federal Minister sensitized the provincial food departments about the timely finalization of the Minimum Support Price. Fakhar said that for the MSP to be adequate, it should finalize before the sowing season of wheat. He was briefed that the provinces have submitted their MSP proposals and are awaiting cabinet approvals.

Fakhar Imam was briefed that Punjab and KPK have finalized their wheat release policy at Rs. 1950/40 kg whereas retail price would be Rs. 1100/20 kilograms while the province of Sindh has yet to get final approval from its cabinet for its wheat release policy.

The federal Minister was apprised by the provincial agricultural departments about the latest production figures of wheat. Punjab’s production is estimated at 20.9 MMT, Sindh’s output at 4.04 MMT, whereas KPK and GB’s production estimates stand at 1.45 and 1.15 MMT. Total wheat stock available with Punjab stands at 3.86 MMT, Sindh’s at 1.26 MMT, KPK’s at 0.18 MMT, and Baluchistan’s at 0.085 MMT.

Fakhar Imam said that the Government has been focusing on the availability of certified seed. Around 530,000 metric tons would be available for the upcoming season, including 160,000 Tons of rust-tolerant varieties.

Fakhar is keen on announcing MSP well before the start of the sowing season. He said that the Government’s enhancement of MSP from Rs. 1400 to Rs 1800 produced a good result that helped the country harvest the highest crop (27.5 million tons). Several factors helped achieve this historical production, including favorable weather conditions, availability of certified seed (513,000 Ton), availability of fertilizers and irrigation water, etc.

Fakhar Imam said that the Government wishes to formulate a policy where every stakeholder is heard, and all concerns are addressed. He also assured GB and AJ&K that the federal government is fully willing to supply wheat to wheat deficit areas from PASSCO’s stock.