Wheat harvest likely to get affected due to extreme weather conditions

LAHORE: The wheat production in the 2025-26 Rabi season will decrease according to Pakistan’s agricultural forecast. The officials estimated wheat production at 28.1 million tonnes, which represents a decrease of 1.2 million tonnes or 3.8 percent. ‘

The officials start their work by examining the current estimate next to previous estimates from different times. The estimation for wheat production needs to be decreased to a new value of 29.31 million tonnes.

The officials report that last year’s production reached 28.42 million tonnes. The extreme weather events caused a decline in the situation, according to the officials.

The temperature showed a significant increase during the period when grains developed. The researchers reported that there had been heavy rainfall and severe storms when crops were maturing.

The regional area that experiences the greatest effects from this situation is Punjab. The region produces wheat at a rate of 21.5 million tonnes. The province of Sindh produces wheat at a rate of approximately 4.10 million tonnes.

The country will have total grain supplies of approximately 30 million tonnes, which includes 2 million tonnes of existing stocks. The country still needs to address a wheat shortage of approximately 1.2 million tonnes.

The officials study various policy options that they need to address. The officials might organize wheat imports. The officials intend to create national strategic reserves, which will help maintain stable supply levels throughout Pakistan.

The weather conditions for crops remained favorable until mid-February. The farmers believed that their crop yields would increase because they had completed their planting on schedule.

The region experienced heat waves, which reached temperatures above 35°C during March. The extreme weather conditions forced crops to mature early which decreased the quality of their grains.

The storms during the last days of March and the entire month of April caused additional damage. Approximately 0.3 million acres of land experienced damage from hail, rain, and winds.

The destructive weather events ruined crops which resulted in problems during the grain development phase.