ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The first spell of rains to bring about positive impact on all Rabi crops, fruit orchards, vegetable farms, pulses and would help to boost their sowing besides helping in enhancing their production during the season.
Talking to the state-run news agency in Islamabad on Tuesday, the Food Security Commissioner in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research Dr Imtiaz Ahmad Gopang said that the rains would be most beneficial for wheat, which is major cash crop of the season and a vital source of staple food to fulfill the domestic food requirements as well as for exporting to fetch a reasonable foreign exchange reserves for the country, said
Dr Imtiaz said that the current rain spell would put positive impact on the seasonal pulses cultivated over thousands of hectares of land across the country and fruit orchards as well as boost their production.
The prevailing smog, which was putting negative impact on the growth and nourishment of all citrus fruits including kinow (orange), which was its rapping stage and standing over thousands of hectares across the country, he added.
Due to smog and dust existing in the local environment, the process of photosynthesis was badly effected and stopped the growth of citrus, he remarked.
The rains would be a blessing for all crops and act like a cleansing agent for environment, agriculture and human health, besides it would help in removing the smog and settling down the dust, he added.
The wheat sowing, he said in rain fed areas of the country would also get momentum with the first rain fall of the season and farmers would be able to bring more areas under wheat and other seasonal crop cultivation, he observed.
Food Security Commissioner further informed that the rains would also help the oil seed farmers for preparing their land for the cultivation of oil seed including mustard, sun flower and others to tackle with the domestic requirements.
He said that the Government of Punjab had announced Rs 5,000 per 10 acres subsidy for oil seed growers to encourage the farmers to cultivate the oil seed to overcome the growing edible oil imports into the country.
Meanwhile, he said that wheat crop to be cultivated over 8,844.6 thousand hectares to produce about 26.463 million tons of wheat during current sowing season.
