FAISALABAD: The Agriculture Department has issued schedule for sunflower cultivation in the province and persuaded farmers to bring maximum land under cultivation of the cash crop.
A spokesman for the department told reporter on Friday, “Sunflower is an important edible oil producing crop and it can help Pakistan slash its import bill of edible oil, which is about Rs 300 billion per annum. Therefore, the Agriculture Department has divided Punjab into three zones regarding cultivation of sunflower crops”.
He said that growers of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur should immediately start cultivation of sunflower and complete it till January 31, while the peasants of Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanewal, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Lodhran, Bhakkar, Vehari and Bahawalnagar should cultivate sunflower from 1st to 31st of January. Similarly, farmers of Faisalabad, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab, Jhang, Sahiwal, Okara, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Narowal, Attock, Rawalpindi, Gujrat and Chakwal should cultivate sunflower crops from January 15 to February 15.
He said that maturity of the crop is only 130 days with comparatively less cost and very high dividend. Therefore, the government also decided to promote cultivation of sunflower and in this connection subsidy has been offered to the growers at rate of Rs 5,000 per acre for cultivation of sunflower crop under Prime Minister Agriculture Emergency Programme.
He said that crushing season has started and the farmers should cultivate sunflower immediately after harvesting the sugarcane crop and complete it by mid-February at every cost as late sowing not only reduces production but also damages the quality of grain.
The growers should also prefer sunflower crops instead of late sowing of wheat as sunflower is an oil crop which is playing pivotal role in catering to our domestic food requirements as well as in lessening financial constraints of the peasants, he added.
Responding to a question, the spokesman said, “The growers should cultivate hybrid approved sunflower varieties like Hi-sun-33, Hi-sun-39, T-40318, Agora-4, NKR Mini, US-666, US-444, PAR-Sun-3, Oxen-5264, Oxen-5270, S-278, HSF-360-A, Sun-7, Arvi-Sun-648 and Arvi-Sun-516, etc. because these varieties are not only disease resistant but also give bumper yield”. The farmers should use 2 kilograms per acre high quality seed of sunflower which has 90% growth ratio to complete number of plants in the field, he added.