PAKISTAN (4 October)
Harvesting of the 2004 wheat crop planted in October-December 2003 was completed in June and the output is officially estimated at 19.4 million tonnes, some 1 percent up on last year’s level and 1.6 percent above the average of the previous five years due to a higher yield. Despite the larger wheat crop, the country is expected to need one million tonnes of wheat imports due to low stock and growing population.
Major Kharif crops are rice, maize, cotton, and groundnut and harvestings are underway. Weather/drought induced problems were reported from different parts of the country. The Kharif crops are growing normally elsewhere in the country. The forecast for the 2004 paddy crop is 7.4 million tonnes, 1.8 percent above the previous year. Pakistan is a major exporter of rice and the 2004/05 export volume is forecast at 2.1 million tonnes.