Need Stressed To Promote Oilseed Crops

FAISALABAD, (Muzaffargarh.City – 22nd Dec, 2020 ) :In the wake ever increasing population, there is a dire need to promote oilseed crops in the country, said Deputy Director Agriculture Research Information Unit Faisalabad Asif Ali. He said the import bill of edible oil is increasing every year, therefore it is the time to promote the cultivation of oilseed crops. He said the government had allocated Rs 5.11 billion under Prime Minister’s Agricultural Emergency Program and with this amount the National Programme for Cultivation of Oilseed is being implemented in letter and spirit. Under the program, farmers are being given Rs 5,000 per acre for cultivation of sunflower and canola crops and Rs 2,000 per acre for sesame cultivation, he added. Responding to a query, he said the duration of spring sunflower crop is about 100 to 110 days and due to its short duration, it can be easily cultivated between two major crops. He said that sunflower crop can easily be planted twice a year. However, autumn crops have less production than production of spring crops. He said that cultivation of sunflower crop at the right time is very important to get higher yield.

In this connection, the Agriculture department has issued schedule for cultivation of sunflower in the Punjab province. He said the Punjab has been divided into two parts for sunflower crop. Suitable time for sunflower cultivation in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanewal, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Lodhran, Bhakkar, Vehari and Bahawalnagar is from January 01 to 31 while farmers of Faisalabad, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushbab, Jhang, Sahiwal, Orkara, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Narowal, Attock, Rawalpindi, Gujrat and Chakwal can cultivate it from January 15 to February 15.The farmers should use 2 to 2.5 kilograms (kg) clean hybrid seeds per acre for cultivation of sunflower crops while its approved varieties include High Sun-33, T-40318, Agora 4, NKR Money, US 666, US 444, PAR Sun 3, Oxen-5264, Oxen-5270, S-278, HSF-360A, Sun-7, ORI Sun-648 and ORI Sun-516, he added.Timely cultivation of sunflower crop is essential to get higher yields as late sowing not only reduces the yield per acre but also damage quality of seeds which reciprocally decreases amount of oil, he added.