The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) in its meeting here on Tuesday, fixed 13.816 million bales cotton production target for coming Kharif against 13 million bales achieved in the outgoing season.
The target for sugarcane crop has been set at 50.5 million tons in the hope that this would end the current sugar price crisis in the country by taking domestic production to a level where it could match the consumption requirements.
For rice and maize, the production targets for this Kharif have been fixed at 5.654 million tons and 3.439 million tons, respectively, with the firm belief that these estimates would be achieved.
The FCA set these targets after Indus River System Authority (Irsa) informed the meeting that 71.86 million acre-feet (MAF) water would be available during Kharif, against 70.76 MAF of last season.
Briefing journalists about the decisions taken at the 84th meeting of the FCA, Bosan said that all matters pertaining to agriculture sector were discussed and targets were set with the consultation of all concerned quarters, including provinces.
The minister said the input availability situation for this Kharif was satisfactory and sufficient quantity of cottonseed, urea and DAP fertiliser would be available during the season.
He told the media persons that credit disbursement to farmers during July-February had touched the level of Rs 81.0 billion, against Rs 67 billion of corresponding period of last year, registering an increase of 21 percent.
WHEAT: The wheat crop was sown on 8.303 million hectares, and the original production target was 22 million tons, as against 21.6 million achieved last year.
According to a release distributed among the journalists at the meeting, wheat production has surpassed the target in Sindh to reach 2.58 million tons, with an improvement of 2.9 percent against 2.508 million production of last year.
But in Punjab where the crop is at early maturity stage, initial estimates are that the production will stay at 16.2 million tons due to damage caused by heavy rains and hailstorms in three southern Punjab districts Multan, Khanewal and Vehari.
COTTON: After achieving 13 million bales production last year, the FCA moved aggressively to set the target at 13.816 million bales from an area of 3.247 million hectares.
The government has enhanced the area under cultivation of cotton from 3.13 million hectares and estimated increased yield from 706 kilograms per hectare to 733 kg. However, there was no word on whether the government will enhance intervention price for seed-cotton (phutti) for next year from its current level of Rs 775 per 40 kg.
SUGARCANE: The most important among the crops for which the targets were set was sugarcane on which it depends a lot whether the sugar price spiral in Pakistan would end.
For this vital crop, the government went all-out to set an 'ambitious' target of 50.5 million tons from an area of 1.005 million hectares.
RICE: Rice over the past few years has been among the few crops that support the country's agriculture sector to grow at a relatively higher rate, and the same was the case last Kharif.
Encouraged by this fact, the FCA set 5.654 million tons production target for rice from an area of 2.685 million hectares, the release said.