Pakistan: Provinces’ seed needs met for wheat sowing

As the wheat sowing drive continues in full swing across the country, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research announced on Thursday that all provinces have received their seed requirements.

The ministry in its press release said a total of 168,000 tonnes of seed from the private sector and 196,000 tonnes from the Punjab Seed Corporation have been supplied. The allocations are as follows: 23,000 tonnes to Balochistan, 82,000 tonnes to Sindh, 22,000 tonnes to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 41,000 tonnes retained in Punjab.

Daily convoy tracking and check-post monitoring confirmed smooth movement without any hindrances or disruptions. The Federal Seed Certification and Research and Development (FSC&RD) validated these reports shared by the Punjab government.

The food security ministry noted a petition filed in the high court by certain seed companies challenging existing seed movement SOPs. The federal government assured full legal support to address the matter.

Food ministry hopes to achieve sowing target by end of November.

Provinces have reported accelerated sowing momentum, supported by timely floodwater recession, easier land access, and improved availability of certified seeds.

The Punjab Agriculture Department reported that the province is completing cultivation on 12.5 million acres against its target of 16.5 million acres for the ongoing Rabi season, eyeing to achieve the target in the next two weeks.

Special trends observed in Punjab include early and rapid sowing due to post-flood land availability. Furthermore, subsidies offered through the Punjab Seed Corporation (Rs500 per bag) and collaboration with private seed companies (Rs550 per bag, totalling Rs5,500 for certified seed) have led to 100 per cent improvement in certified seed usage.

The Ministry’s Secretary Amir Mohyuddin confirmed that media announcements regarding a 20 per cent increase in sowing this year have positively influenced farmers, who have also responded well to the indicative National Wheat Policy price of Rs3,500 per 40kg bag.

In Sindh, the Director-General Extension reported good availability of certified seed. A total of 533,000 hectares had been sown, marking the peak sowing window. By the end of the current month, 85pc of the target is expected to be completed.

KP reported a target of 781,000 hectares, with 461,000 hectares sown so far (59pc progress). Sowing in sugarcane and rice areas has been slower; however, it is expected to accelerate by the end of November, as temperatures remain favourable and the sowing window extends until Dec 15.

In Balochistan, most cultivation occurs in tube-well irrigated areas, with a few districts relying on canal irrigation, where sowing follows rice harvesting. Out of the 643,000 hectares target, approximately 85,000 hectares had been sown. Tube-well-irrigated and barani areas are progressing steadily, while the canal-fed Nasirabad division is expected to pick up pace soon.

The secretary agreed that the ongoing mapping of storage facilities will continue next week to facilitate informed future decisions regarding storage planning.

Tags: wheat, sowing, cultivation