Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed - PDMA

losses, estimated at Rs.280 billion. He confirmed adequate
carryover foodstocks and good Rabi harvest to ensure food
security, though 1/3 decline in paddy production squeezed its
exportable surplus. Post-flood cropped area under various Rabi-
crops including wheat in the Punjab and Sindh declined by some
800,000 acres or 3.5 % of the cropped area, whereas area under
oil-seed crops of canola and sunflower remained stable and rising,
compared to last year, though substantial crop-specific inter-
provincial variations were reported; expansion in areas under
sugarcane was partially off-set. First crop estimates from provinces
were due in early April, but adequate irrigation supplies, and timely
winter rains will, Insha Allah, ensure good yield and overall
production to generate a moderate exportable surplus. It was also
stated that Federal funds for ex-gratia relief for seed and fertilizer
@ Rs.2,400/ acre in kind was being given to small and affected
farmers, with holdings upto 12.5 acres; 50 % was to be picked up
by Federal subventions as per the scale approved by the ECC. On
2 nd March, 2011, the Commission was advised that the scale
compared favourably with farm-gate cost of grain production
estimated by Agricultural Prices Commission that varied from
Rs.467 for Sindh IRRI to Rs.584 in the Punjab against Rs.949 for
basmati; for wheat, the cost ranges from Rs.747 in the Punjab to
Rs.761 in Sindh whereas for cotton seed its range was Rs.1,261 in
Sindh and highest Rs.1,424/acre in the Punjab; sugarcane cost
varied from Rs.69 in the KP to Rs.74/ acre in the Punjab. It was
further verified that MINFA did not receive routine Fortnightly Alerts
or Special alerts on rain/food prospects from the ‘Global Information
and Early Warning System’ (GIEWS), UNFAO during south-west
monsoon as such data was accessible at FAO’s website.
g) Mr. Muhammad Junaid, Acting Chairman, National Highway
Authority (NHA), Islamabad responded to sectoral losses and other
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