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'Lesser rain may hit wheat crop in Balochistan'

QUETTA: The agriculture experts apprehend that the target of wheat cultivation given Balochistan for the current Rabi season of 1.2 million tonnes could not be met for want of proper rain.

This was stated by Agriculture Director General Abdul Salam Badini in a radio interview here on Saturday.

Badini said that the target for the current season was raised comparing 0.781 million tonnes of the last year by raising the per unit expected production through providing better quality of seeds.

However, he said, the target was threatened as the sowing season was already off a month back with no drop of rain during the current winter season.

He said the rain-fed areas would be worst affected on this account as the weathermen expected lesser rain.

Replying to a question, he said the federal government had recently approved 140-km-long Kachhi canal project. It would help make good the deficit of 250,000 tonnes of wheat in the province.

For increasing the area under cultivation, Badini suggested that large and small dams should be constructed to arrest flood water in different parts of the province.

Replying to a question, he said 6,000 tonnes of better quality of wheat seeds had been distributed among the farmers while fertiliser and pesticides were also available in the market.

Badini advised the farmers to make judicious and economic use of ground water reservoirs and avoid wasting the precious water on crops like onion. This water should only be used for cultivating vegetables and fruit. He also advised them to use tirckle irrigation system to ensure maximum utilisation of water.

Referring to recent onion crop boom in the province, he said the Agriculture Department had advised the farmers not to sow onion in such a big quantity but they did not pay heed to their suggestion as they got good return last year owing to destruction of onion crop in India.

Replying to another question, he said Rabi canal drawn from Pat Feeder canal should be completed at the earliest as it would ensure use of surplus water during winter season for growing wheat and oil seed and improving the economy of the province. APP