RAWALPINDI, March 24: Agricultural experts fear a decline of about 10 per cent in wheat production in the barani (rain-fed) areas of Rawalpindi district due to the long spell of drought.

Given the low and unreliable rainfall in barani areas, crop yields are low and household income from farming is often insufficient to maintain the households, a small farmer said.

“The area sown under wheat crop for the Rabi season of 2005- 06 was 341,000 acres. However, tillering and crop growth was affected by the drought, and even if climatic conditions remain favourable, the yield will decrease,” District Officer, Agriculture Extension Sajjad Haider told Dawn.

A total of 224,340 metric tons of wheat was produced from 340,000 acres of land in the district during the Rabi season of 2004-05. The six tehsils of Rawalpindi district are: Rawalpindi, Murree-Kahuta, Kallar Saidan, Gujar Khan, Taxila and Kotli Satian. The yield per acre was 17.68 maund. The wheat production registered an increase in 2004-05 in comparison with the production in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Wheat harvesting in the district is to start in the end of April.

Mr Haider said that wheat seed grader was one of the unique facility provided by the agriculture (Extension) department to the farming community at nominal rate. All the seed impurities like small or dead, immature grains, weed seed, stones, straw, dust and other foreign agents, which tend to reduce productivity by an average of 10 per cent are recovered by this process and farmers can sow their own seed.

The other two major Rabi crops in the barani areas of the district are gram and oilseed. During the year 2004-05, 3,240 metric tons of gram was produced, while the oil-seed production touched the figure of 4,480 metric ton.