Islamabad, Oct. 29 (INP) Wheat sowing will start from Nov 1 in irrigated areas of Punjab, reports Gwadar Pro media network, quoting official sources.

It was hoped that farmers will plough their field twice or three times with intervals to destroy weeds. As part of the final preparation of light soil, one plough and land levelling will be sufficient, however, heavy soil will need twice.

It was advised that before sowing, farmers should consult agriculture officials for application of anti-fungus treatment to seed.

In irrigated areas, farmers could sow varieties including Seher-2006, Lasani-2008, Faisalabad-2008, AARI-2011, Punjab-2011, Millat-2011, Aas-2011, Zinkol-2011, NARC-2011, Galaxy-2013, Ujala-2016, Borlog-2016, Johar-2016, Gold-2016, NN Gandum-1, Anaj-2017 and Fakhar Bakhar.

Seed should be obtained from the Punjab Seed Corporation (PSC) depots and registered dealers where ample quantity of seed was available.

If farmers have their own produced seed, they should take it to their local agriculture officials for free grading and proper treatment against diseases, and then sow, the release concluded.

Earlier last year, the wheat was sown in 8.583 million hectares land in the country, accounting for 97.17 percent of the total target of 8.833 million hectares wheat crop for the year 2018-19.

Punjab and Sindh cover around 88 percent of the total area and contribute 92 percent of the total wheat production in the country. Out of the 8.583 million hectares, Punjab completed sowing of wheat over 6.564 million hectares, Sindh 1.046 million hectares, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 0.687 million hectares, and Baluchistan 0.286 million hectares.

The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) fixed wheat crop production target at 25.572 million tones from an area of 8.833 million hectares during Rabi 2018-19.

According to the media’s report, wheat is one of the four main (with rice, cotton, and sugarcane) agricultural crops in Pakistan, with 80 percent of farmers growing it on an area of around 9.0 million hectares (close to 40 percent of the country’s total cultivated land) during the winter or “Rabi” season.

Wheat is Pakistan’s dietary staple. Wheat flour currently contributes to 72 percent of Pakistani’s daily caloric intake with per capita wheat consumption of around 124 kg per year, one of the highest in the world.

INP/JAVED