All seasonal main and minor crops, fruits, and vegetables will benefit from the ongoing winter rains, according to the agricultural specialists. They said that wheat, the season's biggest cash crop and a significant source for meeting the domestic needs of the nation's staple meal, would benefit most from the rains. According to Food Security Commissioner Dr. Imtiaz Ali Gopang, the rains would benefit wheat planted in rainfed areas around the nation, as well as oil seeds like mustard and canola, and would function as a supplement for seed germination.

He said that the country's irrigated areas will also benefit from the second rain of the current winter season since it will help to make up for the lack of water for irrigation and raise the water level in massive storage facilities. He said that because of these rains, it was anticipated that the wheat planting goals set for this season would also be met since sowing would pick up in rain-fed areas across the nation, especially in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.

He stated that the provinces of Sindh and Punjab have already begun distributing free seeds to flood-stricken regions, adding that this will assist in restarting agricultural activities in the flood-afflicted areas and help in reaching sowing goals and generating surplus output. Speaking about how the recent rains have affected various crops, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, said that wheat has benefited the most because the crop is in the germination stage and the rains will help to improve the health of the plant and increase seasonal output locally.

Speaking about how the recent rains have affected various crops, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, said that wheat has benefited the most because the crop is in the germination stage and the rains will help to improve the health of the plant and increase seasonal output locally. The rains will have a good effect on the wheat planted in the Potohar region and other rain-fed portions of the country, he said.

He added that a huge number of small farmers farming various minor crops and seasonal vegetables in these locations would benefit from timely rainfall. It should be noted that wheat has been sown in Punjab province, and crop cultivation has increased by around 0.1% compared to crop cultivation during the same period last year. Compared to the stated objectives of 16,220,000 acres scheduled for crop season 2022–23, wheat crop sowing has been accomplished on over 2,570,000 acres by the first week of the current month (November).

According to the information given by the Crop Reporting Department of Punjab, wheat planting is progressing thanks to timely rainfall and good weather in rain-fed parts of North Punjab. In South Punjab, more than 16.6% of the planned wheat sowing was accomplished. In contrast, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accomplished 15.71% of its wheat sowing goals, planting the crop on 141,400 hectares rather than the 900,000 hectares that were intended.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk