ISLAMABAD: The first spell of winter rains will bring about positive impact on all seasonal major and minor crops, fruits orchards,vegetables farms, besides it would also be beneficial for human and animals health as well as help to reduce environmental hazards.
It is also beneficial for human health, environment and livestock as it acts like a natural cleanser for environment to reduce dust particulars causing different allergies and strengthening the clean water resources for the animals consumptions.
The rains will be beneficial for wheat, which is major cash crop of the season and a mega source to fulfill the domestic requirements of staple food, particularly it would have positive impact on wheat sown across the rain feed areas across the country as well as oil seeds including mustard and canola.
Commenting on the impact of current rains spell on different crops, Chairman Pakistan Agriculture Research Council Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali said that these rains are most beneficial for wheat as crop was passing through tillering stage and will help to strengthen health of the plant to enhance local output during the season.
The rains would put positive impact on wheat sown in Potohar region and other rain fed areas in the country, he said adding that a large number of small scale farmers cultivating different minor crops and seasonal vegetables in these areas and timely rains will help them to enhance their farm income by enhancing output.
Dr Ali further said that government had introduced special incentives for farmers to grow oil seeds in order to reduce reliance on imported edible oil, which was consuming huge amount of foreign exchange annually, adding that these rains would impact positively all oil seeds like canola and mustard sown over a large areas across the country.
He called upon the farming communities across the country to follow the weather advisory and adopt best crop management practices during applying different inputs including fertilizers, pesticides and water in order to ensure maximum per-acre crop output during the season.
It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast widespread intermittent rain with snowfall over the hills of Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Punjab, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir.
Heavy rain and good snowfall is also likely in upper Punjab, Islamabad, Kashmir and upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the period, it said adding that a strong westerly wave is affecting most parts of the country and may persist till Sunday.