Shortfall of 3m tonnes in wheat production feared, Pakistan PM Sharif informed
Islamabad: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif has been informed that the government is bracing itself for another wheat shortage as output is estimated to fall short of the target for this year by almost three million tonnes, media reports said on Sunday.
According to the Prime Minister Office (PMO), wheat production is projected to be 26.173m tonnes against a target of 28.89m tonnes while the estimated consumption would be around 30.79m tonnes, reports Dawn News.
The meeting was informed that reduced area under wheat cultivation, shortage of water and fertiliser, and delay in the announcement of support price had led to a shortfall of two per cent in production, the newspaper reported.
The oil price hike and an earlier-than-usual heatwave were cited as other factors behind failing to meet wheat production target.
The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to thrash out a strategy for stopping wheat theft and for the construction of silos for storage, reported Dawn News.
Sharif said it was unfortunate that even though Pakistan was an agricultural country, it was importing wheat due to “wrong decisions and delayed strategies”.
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