FAISALABAD: Farmers have been advised to immediately prepare their lands for the cultivation of sunflower crops by first week of January. A spokesman for the Agriculture (Extension) Department said here on Monday that sunflower was an important crop which could help Pakistan to curtail its import bill of edible oil, therefore, farmers should bring maximum land under sunflower cultivation. He said the maturity of this crop was only 130 days with comparatively less cost and very high dividend. The government also decided to promote cultivation of sunflower and in this regard, subsidy would also be provided to farmers on the cultivation of sunflower crops. He said that crushing season had begun and farmers should cultivate sunflower after harvesting the sugarcane crop. He advised them to complete the cultivation by mid February as late sowing would affect the quality as well as quantity of produce. He further said that growers of Multan, Khanewal, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Vehari and Bahawalnagar districts should start sunflower cultivation from 1st January and complete it by 31st January, whereas, most suitable time for sunflower cultivation in Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Lodhran, Layyah, Rajanpur and Bhakkar was from 10th January to 10th February. Similarly, the farmers of Faisalabad, Jhang, Sahiwal, Mianwali, Sargodha, Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Khushab, Okara, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Kasur, Narowal, Attock, Gujrat and Chakwal districts should cultivate sunflower crops from January 25 to February 15, he added. Growers should cultivate approved sunflower varieties like Hi-sun-33, Hi-sun-39, Agora-4, NK-278, FH-331, DK-4040, G-101 and 64-A-93 as these varieties not only disease resistant but also give bumper yield, he added.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026