LAHORE: Wheat production is set to surpass the earlier estimates by around one million tonne in Punjab, reducing the burden on the government to import grain to meet its shortage in the domestic market.

Earlier estimates had suggested that wheat output in the province would be 19.6m tonne against 19.4m tonne of the last year. The agriculture authorities say field reports so far are very encouraging and grain yield this season is likely to be around 20.5m tonne.

They say the final crop estimate will be available after Eidul Fitr vacations as data from Rawalpindi division is yet to be compiled.

The major factor behind the better yield is an overall 3.5pc increase in the area under the crop as compared to the last season. Wheat was sown on a total 16.67m acres of irrigated and unirrigated lands in the province this year while last year’s acreage stood at 16.10m acres. Favourable weather throughout the season also played a role in improving the yield.

Enhancement in the minimum support price for wheat from Rs1,400 to Rs1,800 per 40kg and an earlier announcement in this regard attracted the farming community for sowing the grain, officials say.

The biggest increase in acreage, 13.1pc, was seen in Sahiwal division, whereas Faisalabad and Gujranwala divisions followed with 9.8 and 8.2pc hike, respectively. Dera Ghazi Khan was the only division, which reported a negative growth – 5.3 percent – while in its adjacent Bahawalpur and Multan divisions, the land under wheat crop registered 3.9 and 2.9pc upward trend, respectively.

The food officials claim they have, so far, achieved 85pc of the grain procurement target of 3.5m tonne as around 200,000 tonnes of wheat are being purchased at 350 centres on a daily basis whereas 100pc of gunny bags have been distributed among the farmers.

Punjab Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan says all the wheat procurement centres will operate during the lockdown except for the two Eid days to buy grain from the farmers.

The department has earmarked Rs170bn for its wheat procurement drive after finalising financing deals with a consortium of banks.

Unlike in the last season when no private player was allowed to enter the wheat market, the flour mills and seed companies are also procuring wheat.

Food officials admit that the decision of barring the private sector, particularly the flour millers, from buying wheat in the 2019-20 season proved to be a blunder as the department was not only forced to earlier release grain to flour millers(in July, instead of October as per the past practice) to meet the consumers demand but the measure also sent a negative message to the market that there was a shortage of the commodity, leading to instability in prices of wheat and its products throughout the year.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2021