March 05, 2007	Monday	Safar 15, 1428

WHEAT is the staple food of the people. Pakistan ranks 10th among the wheat-producing countries of the world with an average per annum yield of 22 million tons.

Wheat crop area in the country during 2003-04 was 8.2 million hectares with a production of 19.5 million tons averaging 2,373kg per hectare. The area growing wheat in Balochistan was 0.34 million hectares with a production of 0. 663 million tons which averaged 1,946 kg per hectare during the same period. The province has an area of 4.1 per cent under wheat cultivation with a production of 3.4 per cent of the country’s yield.

The province produces 60 per cent of its requirement, while the deficit is met through imports from other provinces. There has been considerable decrease in yield because of late sowing of the crop, non-availability of improved quality of seeds, shortage of fertiliser, poor management practices, less rain during early stage of the crop and high temperature at the time of formation of grains.

Balochistan has been endowed with a variety of environmental condition which favours growing of a large number of crops. The major wheat-producing districts are Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Bolan, Loralai, Khuzdar, Kharan and Kachhi. Among them, Nasirabad and Jaffarabad have the largest canal-irrigated land and Loralai is a rain-fed wheat-producing district.

Of the area under wheat cultivation in the province about 0.311 million hectares are canal irrigated and 0.30 million hectares rain-fed. In rain-fed areas, wheat is cultivated at the end of rainy season which occasionally receives winter showers. The farmers are mostly unaware of how much they are spending on the cultivation of the crop and what is their income from the crop.

A study was carried out to ascertain the cost of wheat production in irrigated (canal & tube well) and rain-fed farming system. The objective of this study was to review the current status of wheat production system, to estimate the cost of production in irrigated and rain-fed areas and to analyse the benefit-cost ratio.

The study was focused on Nasirabad and Loralai districts of Balochistan as representatives of irrigated and rain-fed areas. Sixty wheat growers were selected randomly and interviewed on their respective farms. Thirty growers were selected from each district for the collection of data.

The results presented in the table below show the total cost of production, gross revenue, net revenue, cost-benefit ratio and input cost. Furthermore, revenue per rupee of input cost and per crop day (rupee) was also calculated.

The total cost of production was estimated and determined to appraise output and input relationship. Moreover cost of production calculated in tube well- irrigated area was Rs7,328 followed by Rs2,954 in rain-fed in Loralai, and Rs6,742 in canal-irrigated area of Nasirabad district. The results of non-irrigated areas are similar to those obtained by Akhtar and Zia (1995). They studied wheat production and related input situation in different ecological zones of the Punjab and found almost similar production cost in barani areas. The average gross revenue was Rs10,025, Rs9,485, Rs4,080 in canal-irrigated, tubewell and rain-fed areas respectively.

The inter-district comparison shows that the net return was Rs2,151 from irrigated land followed by Rs1,126 from non-irrigated land in Loralai and Rs3,283 in Nasirabad district.

The cost-benefit ratio was 1:1.4, 1:1.2 and 1:1.3 in Nasirabad and Loralai irrigated and rain-fed districts, respectively. The revenue per rupee of input cost computed for district Nasirabad and Loralai (irrigated and non-irrigated) was 2.88, 2.44 and 2.51 respectively. Similarly, revenue per crop day was Rs62.66, Rs49.92 and Rs21.47 in Nasirabad and Loralai (irrigated and non-irrigated) districts respectively. It is evident that our farmers are not achieving the potential yield. However, in the broader sense, two possible options either through better crop management or intensification, the yield can be increased without bringing more area under cultivation. The following recommendations/ suggestions have been made for the improvement of better yield.

Wheat growers should be encouraged to adopt better management practices and motivated to adopt scientific methods from local and available sources such as, research stations, progressive growers and extension agents. Particularly, they should be educated about timely planting of wheat, appropriate use of fertiliser and ways to get rid of weeds.

The government must play an important role in training of the farmers on crop management through agriculture extension department.

Majority of farmers were not satisfied with the quality of seed in the study area. They complained that non-availability of improved, disease-free certified seeds of high yield wheat varieties were the main constraint in growing wheat on a large-scale in the province. The agriculture extension department should provide improved and certified seeds to wheat growers in close collaboration with research institutes.

Load shedding was yet another problem hampering wheat cultivation in the study area. The period of load shedding ranged between 10 to 15 hours within 24 hours. The duration of load shedding must be reduced. On the other hand, introduction of rainwater harvesting technique can enhance water availability for farmers.

The rainwater losses are enormous in the study area, which can be controlled by building dams, mini-dams and water reservoirs to increase underground water table.

Timely credit facilities must be provided to the farmers for purchase of inputs so that they cultivate the crop in time. Wheat growers normally purchase inputs from commission agents on high prices in absence of credit facility.