FCA Evaluates Kharif Crops, Sets Rabi Targets

Federal Committee on Agriculture Reviews Kharif Crops and Sets Rabi Targets

The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA), led by the Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, recently convened to assess the performance of the Kharif Crops 2025-26 season and approve production targets for the upcoming Rabi Crops 2025-26. The meeting brought together provincial agriculture ministers, secretaries, and senior officials from both federal and provincial departments.

Rana Tanveer Hussain highlighted the government's commitment to strengthening the agriculture sector, ensuring food security, and improving the living standards of farmers. He emphasized that the agriculture sector is the backbone of the national economy and plays a vital role in national growth, rural prosperity, and employment generation. The minister also stressed the importance of better price mechanisms, access to credit, and availability of quality inputs to support farmers effectively.

Despite challenges such as floods, climate variations, and global market fluctuations, all provinces achieved commendable results during the Kharif season. The minister praised the joint efforts of provincial departments and farmers for their dedication and resilience in maintaining productivity under difficult circumstances. He added that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research will continue to implement reforms aimed at modernizing agriculture through research, innovation, and sustainable practices.

Crop Production Targets for Rabi Season

The purpose of the Federal Committee on Agriculture is to review crop productivity across the provinces, assess challenges faced by the agriculture sector, and finalize production targets and policy directions for upcoming crop seasons. During the meeting, the committee was informed about the estimated production figures for various crops:

• Sugarcane: Provisionally estimated at 84.7 million tonnes from an area of 1.146 million hectares, showing a 5.5 percent increase in area and 5.9 percent in production over the targets set by the FCA.
• Rice: Estimated at 9.417 million tonnes from an area of 3.039 million hectares, indicating a 21.9 percent increase in area and 2.7 percent in production compared to previous targets.
• Mungbean: Estimated at 150.8 thousand tons from an area of 170.6 thousand hectares, with a 22.9 percent increase in area and 1.2 percent in production compared to last year.
• Wheat: A target of 29.678 million tonnes over an area of 9.648 million hectares has been proposed. Additionally, production targets for gram, potato, onion, and tomato were set at 393, 8916, 2788, and 659 thousand tones, respectively.

The wheat policy has been finalized to ensure farmers receive fair support prices, enabling them to cover their cost of production and earn reasonable profit margins. This policy reflects the government’s commitment to safeguarding farmers’ interests and achieving self-sufficiency in staple food commodities.

Seed Availability and Water Supply

The committee also reviewed seed availability for Rabi crops. The Director General of the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCandRD) confirmed that certified seed availability for Rabi 2025-26 will remain satisfactory.

Regarding water availability, the IRSA Advisory Committee anticipated no shortage of water for Punjab and Sindh during Rabi 2025-26. Provinces have been allocated 33.814 million acre-feet (MAF) of water. The Metrological Department reported that below-normal precipitation is expected in most parts of the country during November and December, while near-to-normal rains are expected in January 2026. The department clarified that rumors about an extremely cold winter are baseless and false.

Agricultural Credit and Fertilizer Supply

In line with the government’s agenda for promoting the agriculture sector, Rana Tanveer Hussain appreciated the State Bank of Pakistan’s efforts to enhance the flow of agricultural credit. The SBP allocated an indicative agricultural credit disbursement target of Rs2,572 billion for FY 2025, which was 16.3 percent higher than the preceding year's disbursement of Rs2,250 billion.

Currently, 47 financial institutions provide agricultural loans to farmers, including 5 major commercial banks, 13 medium-sized domestic private banks, 6 Islamic banks, 2 specialized banks (ZTBL and PPCBL), 11 microfinance banks, and 10 MFIs/RSPs. During FY 2025, lending institutions disbursed Rs2,577 billion, achieving 100.2 percent of the overall annual target and recording 16.3 percent growth compared to Rs2,215 billion disbursed in the corresponding period last year.

The supply of Urea and DAP fertilizers is expected to remain stable during the upcoming Rabi season (November-December 2025).

Conclusion

In his concluding remarks, Rana Tanveer Hussain reiterated the government’s resolve to ensure food security through coordinated federal-provincial efforts. He emphasized that farmers are the backbone of the country’s progress and their prosperity remains a top priority. The minister also underscored the importance of timely policy implementation, improved irrigation management, mechanization, and increased investment in research and development to ensure sustainable agricultural growth.