Pakistan: Bumper wheat crop expected

CHAKWAL, April 18: Provincial Minister for Agriculture Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh on Monday said the Punjab government would achieve 18 million tons wheat procurement target.

“Surplus wheat production is expected this year and we will be able to export it,” the minister told reporters in Kallar Kahar.

He said last year wheat production was not good because of less rain but this year bumper crop was expected. “Though the wheat could not be cultivated on 50,000 acres due to the floods but due to good rains the production would be beyond expectation,” he maintains.

He said that due to flood Punjab Government has suffered the loss of Rs94 billions. “The government is bearing the burden of Rs54 billions due to the rise in salaries,” he says. He vowed to provide bulldozers to the farmers. “The small farmers would be given special subsidy,” he maintains.