Jhang’s farmers have one day left to get ready: the wheat-sowing window for irrigated areas across Punjab opens tomorrow, Sunday, 1 November, and the Punjab Agriculture Department has urged growers to complete sowing by 20 November using certified seed of approved varieties.
The advice, issued by the department and reported by the Associated Press of Pakistan on 26 October, is aimed squarely at districts like Jhang, where wheat is the main winter crop and most land is canal-irrigated. It is worth stating plainly that this is province-wide advice for irrigated areas, not a schedule drawn up for Jhang alone — but it applies directly to Jhang’s irrigated fields, and the department’s guidance is the same for growers here as anywhere else in central Punjab.
The headline message is simple: sow on time, sow certified seed, and sow the right variety. Farmers in irrigated areas are advised to maintain a seed rate of 40 to 45 kilograms per acre and to make sure the seed’s germination rate is at least 85 per cent. Seed should be treated with approved chemicals before sowing, in consultation with local agriculture experts, to protect the crop against disease in its early stages. Proper field preparation and efficient water management are also stressed, since both make a visible difference to the final yield.
The department’s recommended varieties for irrigated areas are Akbar-19, Falak-24, Sawera-24, Urooj-22, Ujala-2016, Johar-2016, Inqilab-2017, Fakhr-e-Bhakkar-17, Bhakkar Star-19, Ghazi-19, Nishan-21 and Dilkash-20. Growers who are sowing their own saved seed rather than certified seed are advised to have it graded — a service the department offers free at agriculture extension offices — and treated before it goes into the ground, rather than sowing it untreated.
Why does the timing matter so much this year? Jhang’s growers are coming into the season under unusual pressure. The district endured a devastating flood season earlier this year, with large areas of cropland inundated, and the water regulator has approved a 22 per cent shortage in water availability for this Rabi season — a figure already reported on this site. That makes the department’s emphasis on efficient water management more than routine advice: in a shortfall season, confirming canal rotation schedules with the local irrigation office before finalising sowing, and giving priority to the fields with the most reliable water access, can decide whether a crop finishes well or struggles late in the season.
There is also a price reason to get the crop right. The federal government has approved an indicative wheat price of Rs4,500 per maund for 2027, up from Rs3,500 last year, in a move aimed at encouraging growers to sow wheat despite higher input costs. A well-established, on-time crop is the best way for a farming household to benefit from that price when harvest comes.
Two related dates are worth noting. First, growers in rain-fed areas have a different window: the department’s advice for the arid zone puts the sowing season from 15 October to 15 November, with a seed rate of 40 to 50 kilograms per acre and a similar list of approved varieties, including Shiraz-23, Urooj-22, Nishan-21 and MA-21. Second, sugarcane crushing is scheduled to begin on 15 November, according to the federal government — which matters for growers whose fields are still under cane, since those fields will only become free for wheat after crushing starts.
None of this replaces local advice. Soil, water availability and the previous crop vary from village to village, and the department itself directs farmers to consult their local agriculture experts on seed treatment and variety choice. But the window itself is now fixed: 1 to 20 November for irrigated areas, certified seed, 40 to 45 kilograms an acre, and germination of at least 85 per cent. For Jhang’s wheat growers, tomorrow is the day to start.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) via UrduPoint, “Punjab Agriculture Department Sets Nov 1–20 Wheat Sowing Window, Urges Certified Seeds” and “Punjab Farmers Urged To Sow Wheat By November 20 With Certified Seed”, both published 26 October 2026; The Express Tribune via AgriInsite, “PM sets wheat support price at Rs4,500”, published 24 October 2026 (sugarcane crushing from 15 November).
