May 11, 2006	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 12, 1427

KARACHI, May 10: Pakistan’s major summer crops, including cotton and rice, are expected to largely survive a drought scare, officials said.

The Meteorological Department said this week that water levels in major reservoirs were critically low as the country had received 40 per cent less winter rains than normal and up to 25 per cent less snowfall.

But Agriculture Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan said crops should largely come through. “We are definitely in a crisis, but we expect that none of our crops would face a major threat,” Mr Bosan told Reuters.

Shafqat Masood, chairman of the Indus River System Authority, which manages water distribution in the country, said water levels were improving and a shortage of water in irrigation canals was likely to ease.

“Water levels in the rivers are also improving,” Mr Masood said.

“We are very close to our estimate for this period as hot weather has started melting snow,” he said. “Soon there will be enough water to feed the irrigation canals.”

The government had initially estimated a 10 to 15 per cent irrigation water shortage during the sowing period for cotton and rice summer crops, but the actual shortage was much higher.

“The next few weeks are very vital for the sugar cane and for preparing the ground for sowing cotton and rice crops,” Mr Bosan said.

“Sowing of cotton has just started and will continue for two more months and by the end of June a clear picture on the crop size will emerge.”

Pakistan expects its cotton crop to increase by over six per cent to 13.82 million bales in the 2006-07 crop year.—Reuters