90pc wheat sowing target achieved in Punjab.

LAHORE -- Punjab expects a bumper wheat crop this season even though the provincial government has failed to meet its targets for the provision of subsidised seed, fertiliser and planters to the growers due to paucity of funds.

A senior official of the Punjab AgriAculture Department expected the province to reap a bumper crop this year, 'provided the weather conditions remain favorable as all other indicators are positive'.

The official told Dawn that the area under the wheat crop has gone up from 16.2 million acres last year to 16.5m acres this year, while 90 per cent of the sowing target had been achieved in the early (and most suitable) season.

He attributed the increase in acreage and rising attraction of wheat cultivation to the failure of the last cotton crop. 'Poor lint output due to pest attacks and other related reasons made the farmers free up their lands from cotton and use it instead for early wheat sowing in a bid to get a better yield,' he explained. Increase in minimum...