Matiullah Mati
Haji Deen Muhammad is associated with the zamindari sector in Naseerabad district of Balochistan. He cultivates rice and wheat on about 100 acres every year. During the year 2022, due to the monsoon rain, rice cultivation was flooded, while the water on the land was in wheat cultivation. It took time due to standing and a half month of the season passed.
He says that it took time to cultivate wheat due to standing water on the ground in the Naseerabad division after the unusual monsoon rains and floods last year. But if it takes 10 to 20 days for cultivation, then there is a shortage of 5 to 8 maunds of wheat per acre.
They say that the wheat cultivation season is from November 1st to December 25th. After last year’s rain, there was standing water on our land and now the humidity is very high.
According to the Department of Agriculture, the target of wheat cultivation has been set on 5 lakh 50 thousand hectares in Balochistan during the year 2022-23, in which wheat has been cultivated on 4 lakh 74 thousand 740 hectares and among them 4 lahks 62 thousand 226 hectares are irrigated while 12 thousand 514 are non-irrigated crops. Wheat is cultivated on 86 thousand 260 hectares in Nasirabad. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Pakistan, which has 70% agricultural population, has imported 728,848 metric tons of wheat in the last two years, the cost of which is 2,79,223 US dollars.
Landlord Haji Deen Muhammad says that due to poverty, our landowners do not supply fertilizer and other things to their land in such a way that an excellent yield can be obtained.And that this time will be the best production. Due to the monsoon rains, the tomato season went away while wheat cultivation took time.
Fertilizers, Urea, etc. are required for the best production of wheat
According to experts, 80 kg of nitrogen, 32 kg of phosphorus, and 91 kg of potash are used to produce 80 maunds of wheat from one acre. That is, for the good production of wheat, nitrogen, and potash are needed more than phosphorus. It is recommended to add 25-35-46 kg per acre of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash respectively in medium lands. This amount of fertilizer can be completed with two sacks of urea, one and a half sacks of TSP, and one sack of SOP. But in weak soils, it is recommended to add 25-46-64 kg per acre. This amount of fertilizer can be completed with two sacks of urea, two sacks of DAP, and one sack of SOP.
Agriculture Secretary Omid Ali Khokhar is hopeful that the agriculture department will supply urea and DAP fertilizer to the farmers at the appointed time for achieving the set target and for the best production of wheat cultivation. The set target can be achieved to become self-sufficient regarding wheat.
Wheat is one of the important food crops cultivated in Pakistan. In Pakistan, wheat is cultivated on about 9 million hectares during the Rabi season, which is about 80 percent of the total cultivated area. Pakistan ranks seventh among wheat-producing countries in the world in terms of area and production. Naseerabad division is the green belt of Balochistan where apart from wheat, rice, mustard, sun corn, vegetables, onion, tomato, brinjal, and okra are cultivated. Naseerabad fulfills a large part of the demand for wheat in Balochistan.
Balochistan: 30% of the stock was damaged in the Naseerabad division due to floods
Former Chairman of Pakistan Flour Mills Association Balochistan Chapter, Haji Asmatullah Kakar says that due to last year’s monsoon rains, stock in Naseerabad Division was damaged by 30% due to floods and rains. Will Balochistan be self-sufficient with more crops? In this regard, when Secretary Agriculture Umid Ali Khokhar was contacted, he said that Pakistan can be self-sufficient in wheat production provided that the 3.5 million hectares of arable land in Balochisaren are provided with water, preventing flood water. , can be brought under cultivation through the supply and implementation of solar tube wells and farm machinery.
Balochistan: 23 to 25 maunds of wheat are produced per acre
Director of Agriculture Research Dr. Ismatullah Taran of the Department of Agriculture says that if we want to be 100% self-sufficient in terms of wheat, then we need to work to increase the production of wheat. If awareness and management are improved, this production can be increased to 50 min per acre. Balochistan is currently 75% self-sufficient in terms of wheat, it can be made 100% self-sufficient. The important factor is management. Measures like awareness are needed to ensure a timely supply of fertilizers and others.
Balochistan: The annual requirement of wheat is one crore 52 lakh sacks
Haji Ismatullah Kakar says that Balochistan needs 1 crore 52 lakh sacks of wheat per year and 12 lakh 60 thousand sacks per month. The production here is 1 crore 10 lakhs in which 10 lakh sacks are bought by the Balochistan government for reserve which is used in times of crisis. While flour mills buy 40 lakh sacks of wheat from Punjab and Sindh in the open market.
Flour mills buy wheat according to the fixed rate of the open market. 500 to 1000 per sack of wheat is affected by the price of wheat of Balochistan from Sindh and Punjab. The main reasons are transport costs and better quality. The rates are low but then the prices increase.
During the season, the government of Balochistan implements Section 144 for the purchase of 1 million sacks of wheat, due to which the wheat of Balochistan is smuggled to other provinces instead of the local market, which affects the price. To prevent smuggling to other provinces, steps should be taken on the provincial borders so that wheat is delivered to Balochistan and people here get flour at a low price.
Balochistan government should buy 30 lakh sacks of wheat instead of 10 lakh sacks of wheat in the season, which will have the advantage that the prices of wheat will not increase during the crisis because you will have safe wheat.
There is no silage to preserve wheat
There is a need for silos to secure wheat, but it is not available in Balochistan, on which Dr. Ismatullah Taran expressed his concerns about the lack of silos in Balochistan, saying that wheat is deteriorating in the warehouses of Balochistan. They got damaged due to rainwater and got washed away in the water. Silos are needed to preserve wheat.
Landlords of Balochistan are hopeful for the best wheat harvest
Haji Abdul Rehman Bazai, General Secretary of the Landlord Action Committee, is hopeful that after last year’s monsoon rains, there will be a good crop of wheat.
Although the lands have been affected by the flood, due to more cultivation, the best production is possible, and this time the government has also provided free seeds on time. It has not been provided in time, but people have been affected by the flood, to ensure the cultivation of wheat next year.
The government of Balochistan has made a program to cultivate 12 lakh acres of wheat while the landlords have also cultivated it on their own. If the target of 12 lakh acres of wheat is achieved, it is hoped that Balochistan will become self-sufficient to some extent. There is water in some areas in the Naseerabad division, but on the other hand, the wheat crop will be the best if the crop is destroyed by the flood.
Provincial Minister of Agriculture Mir Asadullah Baloch says that due to the floods, the landowners have to face losses of 300 billion rupees, due to which the ability of the landowners and farmers to buy seeds has weakened. The department is being built on modern lines for improvement and improvement of wheat cultivation. Our resources are insufficient Balochistan is vast in terms of the area while resources are less.
700,000 acres of Kharif crops affected by floods in Balochistan
Provincial Agriculture Secretary Umid Ali Khokhar says that the Kharif crop on 700,000 acres of land in Balochistan was affected by the unusual monsoon rains and floods last year, but the agriculture department has utilized the said land for wheat cultivation. 1.2 million tons of wheat were produced from the million acres of wheat cultivated. The Department of Agriculture is making efforts to cultivate wheat on 1.4 million acres of land this year. In this regard, 3 lakh 62 thousand certified seeds for high production of wheat have been distributed among the flood-affected farmers. 2 lakh hours have also been provided to bring the additional land under cultivation with 400 million funds.
Omid Ali Kokhar said that the government of Balochistan is distributing 1000 green tractors at a 50% subsidy for the development of agriculture and the convenience of the landowners. This year 120 tractors will be distributed. To protect wheat production from floods, the Department of Agriculture is constructing bunds, dikes, and flood diversion structures on agricultural land using bulldozers, which will yield positive results.
