ISLAMABAD (February 10 2004): Wheat sowing has been completed over an area of 8.195 million hectares surpassing the set target of 8.183 million hectares for the year 2003-04.

Federal Committee of Agriculture has set a target of 8.183 million hectares for cultivation of wheat crop for the current season.

The sowing registered an increase of 1.2% over the cultivation of 8.094 million hectares during the year 2002-03.

A total area of 6.255 million hectares has been sown by wheat in Punjab showing an increase of 1.0%, while in NWFP, wheat has been cultivated over an area of 0.774 million hectares showing an increase of 4.95% over the last year.

The cultivation of Wheat is low in Sindh due to standing crops of Sugarcane. However it was sown over an area of 0.851 million hectares showing a decline of 0.85 as compare to the previous year.

In Balochistan, wheat has been sown over an area of 0.315 million hectares as compare to 0.305 million hectares of the last year thus showing an increase of 3.3% over the last year cultivation.

According to official sources, the wheat cultivation was slow owing to certain reasons at the early stage but it was boosted in the months of December 2003 and January 2004.

Courtesy Business Recorder