PESHAWAR, Feb 1: The NWFP government is likely to achieve the wheat crop target set by the federal government for the current year because of good and timely rains, official sources said.

However, agriculture experts said that more rain, which is expected in the near future, could be harmful for the crop and can badly affect the yield. "Recent rains have provided water in sufficient quantity to the area under wheat crop, particularly, in the rain fed parts of the province but more rains in the near future could undermine the standing crop," said an agriculture expert.

The target for 2005 has been set one million tons of wheat - keeping it at the last year's level which the province had surpassed by about 25,000 tons after recording a total yield of 1.025 million tons.

According to initial estimates of the directorate of agriculture (extension), NWFP, the crop has been cultivated on about 765,000 hectares (HA). Though the area brought under wheat cultivation this year has surpassed the last year's level when a total of 741,000 HA had been brought under wheat cultivation in the Frontier.

The province, according to official sources, is required to sow wheat on a total of some 770,000 HA - against which the crop has been cultivated on a total of 765,00 HA.

"The area-wise target of wheat cultivate is likely to be met as in some of the areas delayed cultivation has been reported and after confirming the information the official data would shortly be updated in the second estimates," said a senior official of the provincial government.

Mehmood Shah, a deputy director of the Directorate of agriculture (extension), when contacted, appeared optimistic about the NWFP's prospects of achieving the one million ton yield target.

"We are expected to achieve the production target because of good timely rains in the rain fed areas of the province and due to greater area brought under cultivation in the province this time round," said Mr Shah.

Mr Shah said the achievement of the current year's target would be easy because of timely rains in the rain fed areas including Malakand region and the southern districts of the province where 215,000 HA and 175,000 HA, respectively, have been reported under wheat cultivation this year - making 50 per cent of the total area reported to be under wheat cultivation in the NWFP and its adjoining Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Mr Shah also said that more rains in the near future, particularly in areas which have already received heavy rains during the last couple of weeks, would slow down the crop's growth.

In such an eventuality, he apprehended, yield could be affected. A meteorological Department official said that the Peshawar valley and some other parts of the Frontier province were likely to have rains during the next couple of days.