PESHAWAR, Dec 10: Insufficient rain was affecting the sowing of Rabi crop, specially in barani areas, farmers said on Tuesday.

Talking to APP, the officials of agriculture department said the province had received very meagre rain in the current season.

During the last fortnight not a single drop of rain was received throughout the province, they added. As a result of this, sowing of Rabi crop, which also includes wheat, is being affected, they told.

Adding that till mid November, the wheat crop has been sown on 465,000 hectares of land against the target of 800,000 hectares. They added that the annual production of wheat in the NWFP during the year 2000-2003 had been estimated at one million tons, if the target of sowing was achieved. However, the growers hoped that the prevailing dry spell would not reduce the annual production of province’s, as, they added, the Met office has forecast rains in the month of December.

Similarly, they added, the agriculture department had also expedited its efforts of minimizing shortfall in crops production due to increasing drought situation and save the farmers from further financial loss.

In the wake of climatic changes and persistent shortage of rains from the last few years, the agriculture department has already adopted policy of suggesting changing pattern of farming to farmers to fend off the effects of drought, they added.—APP