950812

Rice production

dropped by 14.5 pc

during 1994-95

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The second estimate of the rice crop for the year 1994-95 places its area and production at 2,108,900 hectares and 3,424,200 metric tonnes as compared with 2,187,100 hectares and 3,994,700 metric tonnes last year showing an area shrinkage by 3.6 percent and a reduction in produce by 14.5 percent.

In the Punjab province this year the area sown under rice crop shows an increase of 1.7 percent and is placed at 1,323,300 hectares as against 1,300,600 hectares of the previous year. The increase in area is due to higher rainfall in the months of July and August coupled with shifting of cotton area to rice crop in Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara and Toba Tek Singh districts due to leaf curl virus attack on last year's cotton crop. The production of rice crop has registered an increase of 5.9 percent and stands at 1,682,000 tonnes as against 1,588,200 tonnes of the last year. The increase in production is due to increase in area and slight increase in the yield per hectare.

In Sindh, the area and production of rice crop for the year 1994-95 have been estimated at 598,300 hectares and 1,376,100 tonnes respectively as compared to previous year's finally estimated area figure of 702,900 hectares and production 1,954,900 tonnes. Both, area and production, show decreases of 14.9 and 29.6 percent respectively. The decrease in area is due to acute shortage of irrigation water during April and May in the command of all the three barrages of the province which hampered the cultivation of nurseries, coupled with heavy rainfall in monsoon - which damaged the crop immensely. The decrease in production is due to corresponding decrease in area, late sowing of the crop which resulted in less yield per hectare, coupled with less use of fertilizer and less spray of pesticides due to standing water in the fields.

In the NWFP rice crop has been sown on 63,000 hectares giving thereby a nominal increase of 0.5 percent when compared with last year's finally estimated area figures of 62,700 hectares. The production of rice crop in this province stands at 119,300 tonnes against 118,400 tonnes of previous year, thereby showing an increase of 0.8 percent. The increase in production is due to corresponding increase in area.

In Balochistan the area and production of rice crop for the year 1994-95 are estimated at 124,300 hectares and 236,800 tonnes as compared with 120,900 hectares and 333,200 tonnes of the previous year. Area has shown an increase of 2.8 percent but the production has decreased by 28.9 percent despite increase in area.