Farmers have been instructed to complete the delayed cultivation of chickpeas in the next few days. Muhammad Rafique, Director of Pulses Research Institute, Aari, Faisalabad, has said that although the best time for chickpea cultivation is from November 15 to 20, if for some reason the farmers are unable to cultivate the chickpea crop within the stipulated time, they can do delayed cultivation till December 10. However, delayed cultivation cannot yield the bumper crop that can be obtained from timely cultivation. Therefore, ensure timely cultivation in consultation with agricultural experts.
He said that in the areas of central and southern Punjab including Faisalabad, Jhang, Thal, Khushab, Mianwali, Layyah, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar, better production can be achieved by cultivating chickpea, an important legume crop of the Rabi season, while the use of modern technology can also lead to an increase in the production of chickpea per acre. Therefore, chickpea farmers should ensure timely cultivation of indigenous chickpea varieties like Batal 98, Punjab 2008, Balksar 2000, Vanhar 2000, Thal 2006, CM 98, Kabuli variety Noor 91 and CM 2008, etc. He said that for better production of chickpea, farmers should use 13 kg of nitrogen per acre, while 36 kg of phosphorus per acre is also suitable. He said that for better production of gram, the number of plants should be 85 to 95 thousand per acre. He said that if gram farmers face any kind of difficulty or problem, they can contact the department’s free helpline.