June 20, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 15, 1429

KARACHI, June 19: Sindh Minister for Agriculture Syed Ali Nawaz Shah has said Sindh brought 9.88 million hectares of land under wheat cultivation with wheat production being at 3.445 million (2nd estimate) metric tons in 2007-08 as against the target of 982,000 hectares of area and 3.2 million metric tons production.

He was replying to a question by the opposition’s Arif Mustafa Jatoi during the question hour in the Sindh Assembly on Thursday.

The minister said the second estimates were issued on April 3, 2008 and at that time about 20 per cent crop was harvested and average yield ranged up to 35 maunds per acre.

However, till now 100pc harvesting had been completed and estimated yield came to 31-32 maunds per acre, therefore final estimates of production would be received later on. He said one of the reasons of decrease in yield was a shortage of irrigation water at the time of last irrigation.

Answering another question by the same member, Mr Shah said the targets for area and production of wheat were being fixed by the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (MINFAL).

When the questioner asked what steps were being taken to prevent the outbreak of mealy bug in this year’s anticipated crop, the minister said research work on mealy bug biology, ecology and their natural enemies on cotton and alternative host plants, screening of bio-pesticides, varietal performance was in progress, besides work on natural enemies and their phenology associated with mealy bug had been initiated.

He said it was an internationally recognised phenomena that this group of insects was difficult to be controlled by insecticides and was best managed by biological control based IPM technologies. Therefore, biological control attempts were being made.

The minister informed the house that predators had been imported from California, USA, and were being reared and tested in field conditions. These predators were being reared successfully. At present, 12,000 predators were available and being multiplied and would be provided to cotton growers for the control of mealy bug.

In addition, a regular survey was being carried out and farmers would be guided through personal contacts, awareness programmes and the print media for mealy bug control.

Replying to a question of Arif Mustafa Jatoi, Provincial Food Minister Mir Nadir Ali Magsi gave details about (a) provincial- and district-wise target for wheat procurement for 2008; (b) number and district-wise location of procurement centres set up for procuring wheat; (c) the procurement price of wheat for 2008 and (d) the actual procurement achieved as of April 19.

The minister said a target of 0.6 million tons had been fixed by MINFAL for Sindh from the crop year 2008. The food minister said that by the end of July the province would be close to the target. Giving summarised figures of wheat procurement centres, Mir Nadir

Magsi said that out of the total 334 centres, Hyderabad Region had 66, Mirpurkhas 91, Sukkur 127 and Larkana 50.

He told the questioner that Rs625 per 40 kilograms was fixed as procurement price by the federal governemnt.

He said that by April 19, 163,742.700 metric tons of wheat was procured and by May 5, the procurement figure had reached 410,889 metric tons.

Answering a question of Arif Mustafa Jatoi about the expected sources of the additional wheat in case of deficit, Mir Nadir Magsi said the Sindh Food Department was meeting 35-40 per cent requirement of flour mills while the remaining portion they were making through purchases from the open market.

However, he said, due to the wheat crisis last year, the Sindh food department had made abnormal releases to overcome the atta crisis to the extent of 11,83,230 metric tons.

For the current year, the releases would be made on the need basis from September onwards, he said.

The food minister said that the shortfall in the requirement of wheat was being met by the federal government through imported wheat/PASSCO stocks as well as the Punjab food department as and when needed.

Answering another question of Mr Jatoi regarding the notified ex-mill rate of flour as on April 16, along with last 10 years rate on the same date, Mr Magsi said during the period when releases to the flour mills was stopped by the food department, the price of atta was determined by open market operatives.—APP