Islamabad – Pakistan is expected to produce 29.31 million tons of wheat in the current Rabi season, falling just short of the official target.
The estimate came during a meeting of the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) held on Tuesday. The target was 29.678 million tons.
The shortfall of about 1.24 percent stems mainly from a smaller planted area. Farmers sowed wheat on 9.385 million hectares instead of the planned 9.648 million hectares.
Even so, this year’s projected figure marks a 3.13 percent rise from last season’s actual output of 28.42 million tons. That improvement came from 9.1 million hectares last year.
Province-wise Breakdown
Punjab remains the largest contributor with an expected 22.040 million tons. Sindh follows with 4.402 million tons. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is projected at 1.411 million tons. Balochistan is estimated to produce 1.450 million tons.
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain chaired the meeting. The committee also looked at estimates for other Rabi crops.
Potato production is forecast at 12.171 million tons, a healthy 23.2 percent increase. Gram output is seen jumping 52.4 percent to 262,030 tons.
On the downside, tomato production may drop by 11.9 percent, while onion output is also expected to see a small decline.
Looking Ahead to Kharif Season
The committee fixed targets for the next Kharif (summer) crops for 2026-27. These include:
- Cotton: 9.64 million bales
- Rice: 9.17 million tons
Water availability for the Kharif season is projected at 67.451 million acre feet. However, soil moisture levels in important farming areas remain low because of earlier dry weather.
Officials said seed and fertilizer supplies for the coming season look adequate. Urea stocks are comfortable thanks to local manufacturing and current reserves.
Wheat remains central to Pakistan’s food security, and even a small shortfall often draws attention because of its effect on prices and imports.
This season’s estimate shows progress over last year, but the repeated gap between target and actual output continues to highlight challenges in area expansion and yield consistency.
