May 27, 2003	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 24,1424

KARACHI, May 26: Wheat crop has been reduced because of dry summer winds in southern parts of Punjab, which produces over 80 per cent of the country’s output, farmers and officials said on Monday.

Initial estimates by agriculture experts say the crop yield in southern Punjab is likely to down by as much as 15 per cent in the financial year to June 30.

“Our wheat crop has been affected in parts of Punjab because of the dry wind,” Qadir Bux Baloch, Pakistan’s wheat commissioner, told Reuters, but said the extent of the damage was still not clear.

Ibrahim Mughal, an official of Pakistan Kissan Board said Punjab’s output could be down as much as two million tons.

“They (the government) were eyeing a harvest of 16.5 million tons in Punjab, now they are saying crop size will be 15.5 million tons, but our estimate is 14.5 million tons to 15 million tons,” he said. The government set a wheat production target of 19.7 million tons for the fiscal year. A drop in yield would mean it would not be able remain a major player in the world export market.

An official at the National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) said the crop size was already down 10 to 15 per cent as a result of dry winds in southern parts of Punjab.

“We call it the stress factor,” said the official on the condition of anonymity.—Reuters