‘Insecure’ wheat growers switching to other cash crops
The removal of government support prices, along with low domestic rates, has affected the current sowing season, causing wheat farmers to switch to more profitable vegetables and cash crops, such as mustard and pulses. The Country Brief on Pakistan, published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), says the area planted declined year-on-year since the government removed the minimum support price in May 2024. The FAO report made available on Saturday says that wheat production in 2025 will depend on the performance of the rainy season until April. According to the report, despite well-below-average cumulative precipitation amounts and warmer-than-average temperatures between October 2024 and early February 2025, vegetation conditions in the main wheat cropping areas were average to above average due to a sufficient supply of irrigation water.