The Government of Pakistan has decided to give a subsidy of PKR5,000 to registered farmers for the cultivation of Sunflower crop. According to an official familiar with the development, Pakistan is already importing edible oil worth PKR300 billion annually. Therefore, it is very important that the government incentivizes the cultivation of oil-seeds crops including the sunflower crop. He said, “if we increase our own capacity to produce edible oil we will end our dependence on foreign suppliers. This is the reason that we will provide the farmers with a PKR5,000 subsidy so that they can increase the cultivation of sunflower crop.”

“We will also provide them with a 50% discount on agricultural machinery which they might need to buy. We urge the farmers to use latest technology to increase their per acre yield.” He added, “growers are being persuaded to cultivate experimental plots of sunflower crops and the government will also provide them with a subsidy of PKR15,000 per acre for installation of latest technologies.”

He said that sunflower cultivation will start in January and that the farmers of southern Punjab areas including Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajan Pur, Bahawal Pur, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Vehari, Bahawal Nagar, Muzaffar Garh, Layyah, Lodhran, Bhakkar and Khanewal should complete cultivation of sunflower crops before January 31, 2023.

The farmers of central Punjab areas including Faisalabad, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab, Jhang, Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan, Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafiz Abad, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib could cultivate up to February 10.

Whereas, the best time for cultivation of sunflower crops in southern Punjab areas including Narowal, Attock, Rawalpindi, Gujrat, Jehlum and Chakwal is from 1^st January to 15^th February, he added. He said that growers should use 2 kilograms (kg) seeds of hybrid variety which have 90% growth rate whereas the number of plants should be between 22,000 to 23,000 per acre.

Hybrid sunflower varieties included Hi-Sun-33, T-40318, Agora-4, S-278, Orisun-516, Orisun-675, Orisun-701, and Orisun-7. He advised the growers to complete the cultivation of sunflower crop within the stipulated time because late sowing could hamper the production by damaging quality as well as quantity of grains.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk