The federal government has set a wheat production target of 33.58 million tons for the 2024-2025 Rabi season, with the aim of planting more than 10.368 million hectares.
The decision was announced during a meeting of the Federal Agriculture Committee chaired by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain.
The meeting also reviewed the performance of kharif crops and set production targets for other rabi crops, including chickpeas, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and chili peppers.
Despite the wheat target set by the central government, regional administrations have expressed concerns and proposed a lower target for wheat due to the challenges faced in the previous season.
Punjab, where farmers are affected by the lack of a fixed support price, along with other provinces, proposed reducing the wheat cultivation area to 9.263 million hectares with an estimated production of 27.92 million tons.
The FRA meeting also set production targets for other major crops: gram (419.4 thousand tons), potatoes (6.83 million tons), onions (2.55 million tons), tomatoes (658.7 thousand tons), and chili peppers (56.8 thousand tons).
Kharif crop data presented at the meeting showed promising results, with sugarcane production provisionally estimated at 85.5 million tons, an 11.5% increase in production. Rice production rose by 4% to 9.079 million tons, while mash production saw a modest increase to 5.77 thousand tons.
Discussing the resource forecast for the Rabi season, the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Administration (FSRC) confirmed the availability of sufficient certified seeds.
The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has forecast a 16% water shortage in Punjab and Sindh, with an initial allocation of 31.136 million cubic meters under review in November.