Pakissan.com; Dismal wheat production scenario

Wheat is the major stapple food crop of Pakistan and occupies nearly
38per cent of the total cultivated area of the country. But during 56
years of the country,s history we imported wheat for 46 years ending
in 2003-04 inspite of having the largest irrigation system in the
world .During 1947 we imported only 0.01million tons of wheat which
increased to to1.3 million tons in 1960 .

There was a green revolution in wheat production in mid sixties when high yielding
Mexican varieties were introduced in the country ,but we could not
maintain this green revolution as our wheat import varied from 0.22
million tons to 1.96 million tons in seventies and 0.6 million tons
to 1.8 million tons in eighties and reached to maximum of 4.1 million
tons in 1997-98 .This reflects on our dismal wheat production system .

During 1999-2000 we produced a bumper wheat crop of over 21 million
tons and exported wheat during the last three years .But due to
mismanagement of wheat production strategies ,poor marketing system
and storage facilities the country may face severe wheat shortage
till the harvesting of next crop inspite of the tall claims of MINFAL
that the country has sufficient reserves . If so ,then why the
original decision of importing 0.5million tons of wheat has been
increased to 1.5 million tons and the flour price is increasing
alarmingly causing serious problems for the common man .
According to the national press current wheat stocks of Sindh ,NWFP
and Balochistan will be exhausted by February 2004 .Sindh is expected
to face a defcit of 100000 tons, NWFP 65000 tons and Balochistan
165000 tons .

One of the major reasons of wheat shortage is its smuggling across
our porous borders causing deficit in the country . Because the
corrupt influential politicians and bureaucracy do not want the
country to become self sufficient in various agricultural commodities
such as wheat ,edible oil ect as they take large commissions on their
import besides earning huge amount of money from ill- legal smuggling.
Even smuggling of locally manufactured fertilizer has also started.
The successive governments have failed to control smuggling
effectively .The other main reason is declining availability of
irrigation water during critical stages of the crop growth as
development of our water resources has been made a contentious issue
due its politicizing and provincialism .

During the two decades ending in 2000 ,the area under wheat increased
from 6.98 million hectares to 8.46 million hectares , production
increased from 11.47 million tons to over 21 million tons which is
highest in the history of the country so far . the yield increased
from 1643 kg per hectare to 2491 kg per hectare during this period
which again is the highest so far .

But inspite of that , we imported wheat for 16 years of these two
decades and the record yield obtained in 1999-2000 is still far below
the demonstrated achievable yield potential of 6425 kg per hectare
obtained at the farmers fields by FAO experts in Pakistan by
following the advanced wheat production technology .The harsh reality
is this that our highest production in 1999-2000 has again declined
during the succeeding years so far .

Again , the average yield of wheat in India is 2596 kg per hectare as
against the highest yield of 2491 kg per hectare ever achieved in
Pakistan so far inspite of nearly 70 per cent of their cultivated
area being rain-fed as against 80 per cent of our cultivated area
being irrigated .Likewise ,the wheat yield of Indian Punjab is 4400
kg per hectare as compared to 2667 kg per hectare ever obtained so
far by our Punjab the largest wheat producing province in the country.
It is unfortunate that though Pakistan is 7th largest wheat growing
country in the world but ranks 59th in terms of yield per hectare .
This again reflects on our dismal wheat production system inspite of
the release of a horde of high yielding and disease resistant wheat
varieties during the past half century .

The consistent increase in the prices of inputs ,diesel and
electricity has significantly caused enormous pressure for the use of
inputs ,farm machinery and tubewell water especially by the small ,
subsistent and below subsistent level farmers who cultivate over 61
per cent of the total farm area in the country .

For instance ,during the decade ending in 1999-2000 ,the cost of urea
increased by 66per cent, DAP by154per cent ,AS by 235per cent , AN by
153per cent and SSP by 209 per cent.

Similarly the electricity rate for tubewells increased by 343 per
cent in Punjab and Sindh and by 372 per cent in NWFP and Balochistan.
The support price of wheat during the first half of the decade
increased by 39per cent and by 25per cent during the second half of
the decade .

These increases in support prices were not adequate to meet the
increasing cost of inputs , diesel, electricity etc.

Unfortunately large number of wheat growers even do not get the
announced support price due to the connivance of middle men who
purchase wheat at less than the support price and sell it at support
price or more .Likewise , the government functionaries of the
concerned government departments purchase most of the wheat below the
support price excepting from the politically influentials and send
bills to the government at the rate of support price thus earn money
illegally at the expense of the common wheat growers .

All this is happening inspite of the tall claims of successive
governments of taking policy decisions for encouraging the farmers to
increase wheat production . For instance various governments
announced increase of agricultural credit to the farmers for timely
purchase of inputs etc; .Although the agricultural credit increased
from Rs.1496 million to Rs. 3762 million during the decade ending in
1999-2000 . But this credit was not adequate to meet the increased
cost of inputs , farm machinery, diesel , electricity and labour.

Furthermore ,the influential politicians and feudal lords took major
part of this credit against the names of their tenants showing them
as small farmers .The tragedy is that these politically influentials
also get these loans as written off .The small farmers and landless
tenants are the worst sufferers.

Similarly tall claims are made by the concerned departments that
sufficient quantity of improved wheat seed was distributed to the
wheat growers.

But the harsh reality is that during the last decade the distribution
of the improved wheat seed increased from 11.8 per cent of the total
seed requirement to 16 per cent and still nearly 84 per cent of
unimproved and mixed seed is used by the wheat growers which results
in the reduction of wheat yield by 20 per cent .

Of the total area of wheat in the country 72per cent is in Punjab
contributing nearly 75per cent of the total national production .but
70 per cent of wheat in Punjab is sown late in December and early
January in rice- wheat and cotton-wheat belts of the province as
against the optimum planting time of October 20 to November
21.Thereafter ,a delay of successive one day of sowing wheat results
in reduction of yield by35 kg per hectare .

Of the total rice area in Punjab nearly 78per cent is under basmati
rice which matures late as compared to the course rice which is
harvested in October and permits timely sowing of wheat unlike
basmati rice . Presowing irrigation for preparation of land for
sowing wheat after harvesting basmati rice further delays sowing of
wheat for about two weeks or so before soil moisture conditions
permit land preparation for its sowing.

However , a recently introduced zero tillage drill permits direct
seeding of wheat in rice stubbles after its harvest as there is
enough moisture below the soil due to heavy irrigations to rice crop.
It also places fertilizer below the seed at the same time.
The advantages of zero tillage are reduction in delayed sowing period
of wheat in rice belt ,saving of 100per cent cost for seedbed
preparation , saving of 20per cent irrigation water and increase in
yield by 15-20 per cent.

But due to poor linkages between the agricultural departments and
inter departmental rivalry it has resulted in poor communication to
the farmers for increasing wheat yield in rice-wheat belt of Punjab .
Similarly ,the relay crop technology in cotton-wheat belt can permit
early planting of wheat in standing crop of cotton in third week of
November without effecting the yield of cotton ,besides increasing the yield of wheat due to its early planting. But the farmers are not using it due to lack of
information ,education and training .T

his again reflects on the poor performance of agricultural department. The yield of wheat is lowest in NWFP followed by Balochistan .There is too much interference by
the politicians and bureaucracy in the affairs of agriculture
department .For instance an eminent wheat scientist of NWFP prepared
a project for increasing wheat production in the province.FAO approved this project and gave funds to conduct research on wheat.

This scientist purchased about seven cars for enabling the research
workers to travel to various ecological zones of the province for
evolution of wheat varieties and developing specific wheat production
technology required for each zone .

But the then Minister of Agriculture and his sons and the then
Secretary of Agriculture took away six cars for their personal use.
Thus , the wheat scientist could not conduct research as planned .
This is just one example .Similar interferences are common in all the
provinces .

In Balochistan over-mining of groundwater and outdated conventional
rain water harvesting has adversely affected the yield of irrigated
and rain-fed wheat in 95per cent of the province lying outside the
canal irrigated area .

The policy makers should take serious cognizance of this dismal wheat
production scenario and develop crash wheat production program to
attain self sufficiency , as the already heavily indebted nation
cannot afford the luxury of importing wheat and other agricultural
commodities so often.

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