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Understanding Wheat shortage in Pakistan
and potential of Sindh
Sindh is currently passing through a sever wheat shortage,
while Punjab has sealed its stock of around 6 million tons of
wheat. Consequently Sindh is left with no option other than
importing around 1.5 million tons of wheat.
 Since
Punjab has been main source of agricultural production in the
country, there fore it has remained the focus of major
agricultural planning and development efforts. But since last
few years Punjab’s dominance in wheat production has greatly
reduced due to stagnation in production of wheat in the
province.
Official records state that around 75 per cent agri loans,
water and fine seeds have been utilized in Punjab province.
Currently 15 million acres of land is used for wheat
production in the Punjab, and according to rough estimates 40
MAF underground water is consumed through tube wells in the
province. Punjab produces 16 million tons of wheat annually
where as the Pakistan’s current wheat requirement stands at
close to 23 million tons. By year 2010 Pakistan would need
around 30 million tons of wheat for its domestic consumption,
while lands in Punjab do not have that capacity to produce
that much food grain of wheat in years to come as A-Class
cultivable land in Punjab is not available any more.
 Wheat
production position and potential of Sindh
The average wheat production per acre in Sindh is close to 26
Mann while in Punjab it is around 23 Mann per acre.
There is plenty of A-Class cultivatable lands available in
Sindh, currently only 14 million acres of land is under
cultivation in Sindh, while two crops in a year are being
cultivated only on 1.8 million acres of land, over 12 million
acres of land in Sindh is not being used for two crops in a
year due to water shortage, lack of agri inputs such as seeds,
fertilizers and availability of investment.
There is roughly 3.2 million acres of land in Sindh, which can
be brought under cultivation through some improvements and
planning. Unfortunately provincial agricultural dept does not
have good leadership and bureaucracy to utilize this immense
agricultural potential.
It is amazing to see the wheat production per acre in the
coastal areas of Sindh whose average production par acre is
higher than Punjab and other parts of Sindh.
Currently 2.5 million acres of land is used for wheat
cultivation in the province, this area under-cultivation can
be enhanced in short term up to 3.5 million acres of land and
long term up to 5 million acres of land.
Agri land in Sindh has capacity to produce average 30 to 35
Mann per acre wheat production that is above 10 Mann per acre
yield in Punjab. This could enable Sindh in longer run to
produce up to 7 million tons what by year 2025 and Sindh could
become self-sufficient in wheat production and consumption.
 In
order to achieve above goals following urgent reforms are
needed to be implemented.
· Sindh should receive free flow of water at least according
to 1991 Water accord, which gives sufficient water during the
Rabi season when wheat crop is cultivated.
· The small growers in the tale areas should get due water
during the crop cultivation season, as big landowners have
tended to prefer fruit cultivation in their lands rather than
wheat.
· The Nara Canal and Left Bank area should be handed over to
growers’ organization for the management of canals and
watercourses, especially in Thatta district.
· There has been lack of finest wheat seed, which severally
affects wheat production. Though Sindh has some fines wheat
seeds, due to the corruption in the federal Seed Corporation,
unhealthy and costly seed is sold to the growers of Sindh.
There is urgent need to re-activate the defunct Sindh Seed
Corporation and it should function on commercial basis.
· Incompetent and corrupt officials should not be appointed
again the corporation
· The Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan has been
practicing discriminatory policies against the growers of
Sindh in provision of agri loans. On the basis of ratio of
agricultural land Sindh should get 33 per cent of agri loans
but merely 15 per cent of agri loan is distributed annually
among the growers in the province.
Prof. Dr. Rajab Ali Memon
Former Vice Chancellor
Sindh Agricultural University Tando Jam, Hyderabad.
(Translation Mushtaque Rajpar, Karachi)
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