ISLAMABAD, May 25: The output of several major crops, including cash crops like cotton and sugarcane, declined during 2005-06 against production figures for the past year, reducing total farm productivity by 2.5 per cent and affecting overall GDP targets.

A senior official of the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) said on Thursday that statistics had been finalised in the National Accounts Committee meeting held yesterday to review and finalise estimates of GDP targets.

The estimates for major crops production showed that wheat production increased marginally by 0.4 per cent to 21.7 million tons during the year 2005-06 against past year’s production of 21.6 million tons while the wheat cultivation area declined by 0.65 per cent to 8,303,000 hectares from 8,358,000 hectares cultivated during the same period last year.

Cotton production declined by 12.95 per cent to 6.336 million tons against previous year’s production of 7.279 million tons while the area under cultivation declined by three per cent to 3,096,000 hectares against 3,192,600 hectares past year.

During the same period, the sugarcane production declined by 6.2 per cent to 44.312 million tons against 47.244 million tons produced in the past year. Similarly, sugarcane cultivation area declined by 6.1 per cent to 907,000 hectare during the year against 966,300 hectares cultivated during last year.

Rice was the only major cash crop whose production rose by 9.4 per cent to 5.547 million tons in 2005-06 against 5.025 million tons during the same period last year while the crop’s cultivation area increased by four per cent to 2,620,600 hectares against 2,519,500 hectares last year.

Maize production recorded a growth of 27.27 per cent to 3.56 million tons against 2.797 million tons produced last year. The crop’s cultivation area also increased by 4.12 per cent.