ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: The government has reported a six per cent increase in the wheat sowing area against last year’s crop area, raising the possibility that this season’s wheat crop target of 25 million tons may be achieved.

According to initial estimates released by the provinces, the crop was sown on 9.053 million hectares against last year’s 8.54 million hectares. This year’s sowing target was 8.61 million hectares.

The increase in crop area may be linked to the government’s decision to increase wheat procurement price to Rs950 per 40 kg.

“This is a success,” a statement issued by Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar Mohammad Gondal said. He said the country was “well-positioned to achieve the wheat production target this year”.

Mr Gondal said the government was committed to achieving the ‘highest ever’ official wheat procurement target of 6.5 million tons.

In the past, the government had been unable to achieve the official target which hovered around 5 million tons. But this year, Mr Gondal said, provinces were being taken on board and a strategy was being prepared to launch a speedy procurement process across the country.

He said that farmers would be encouraged to sell wheat on the highest fixed support price to government agencies.

The minister said the government had provided Rs32 billion subsidy to cap the price of DAP fertiliser at Rs3,059 per 40 kg, which had also encouraged farmers.

He said 1.5 million tons of wheat would be procured by the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Supplies Corporation (Passco), 3.05 million tons by the Punjab government, 1.2 million tons in Sindh, 250,000 tons in NWFP and 50,000 tons in Balochistan. He said cooperation between the provinces and the federal government was vital for the timely achievement of the procurement target.