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An Assessment of the Wheat Crop 
by 
Dr. Samina Khalil 
Published in "The News"  Rawalpindi / Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi on September 25, 2006

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the staple food crop of the Pakistani nation, supplying 72% of energy and protein in the average daily diet. Wheat provides more nourishment than any other food grains. Per capita wheat consumption in Pakistan is around 120kg/year which is highest in the world. Wheat is grown in all provinces of Pakistan, occupying an area of about 8.5 million hectares. Latest official reports from the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL), indicate that during the current year (2006-07) 21.7 millions tonnes of wheat has been harvested. Keeping in view the carry over stock of 2.1 million tonnes from last year crop, it is believed that Pakistan would not only meet the domestic requirement of 22 million tonnes but, may also be in a position to export.

Although, Pakistan falls in the top ten wheat producing countries in the world, it has been a food deficit country for long because rate of wheat production could not catch-up with the rate of population growth. Being in a hand to mouth situation crop improvement programs have always been more yield oriented and less attention has been given to the quality of grain produced. A survey of wheat growing areas in the Punjab was conducted by scientists of Grain Quality Testing Laboratory (GQTL) National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad to asses the quality of wheat produced this year (2006-07). The following are the mean results of 120 samples collected from farmers in different district of the Punjab.

Table 1. Quality of wheat grain collected from nine districts in the Punjab

A comparison of the fresh wheat crop with the standards /grades established by the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (previously Pakistan Standards Institute) shows that moisture is even less than the desired moisture in the PAK-I grade which shows that crop is dry and good for storage. Test weight is either same or even higher than the required values for the best grade i.e. PAK I. Wet gluten higher than 25% is considered very good for making "roti and chapatti", whereas protein in the range of 10-12 is an indication of good grade wheat.

Table 2. Wheat grades according to Pakistan standard No.B747, 1996

A comparison of quality of wheat imported by Pakistan during 2005-06 from USA, Russia and Australia in the same wheat category also shows the superior quality of wheat produced in Pakistan especially in terms of higher percentage of gluten: a protein that gives strength and elasticity to the dough that is desired for making "chapatti or nan" type bread that is eaten in Pakistan.

Table 3. Comparison of Pakistani 2006-07 wheat crop with wheat imported from Russia, USA and Australia during 2005-06

Pakistani wheat varieties fall in the category of medium hard to medium soft white wheat group. These wheat varieties are developed for general purpose and put to all uses e.g chapatti, bread, confectionery, noodles and spaghetti whereas, in developed countries specific wheat varieties are developed and put into use to meet the requirements of end users to develop specific products.

The crop production system in developed countries is geared to support export needs and they have well defined wheat quality grades on the basis of which price is determined. In Pakistan, a wheat grading system has yet to be developed which not only satisfy the buyer by assigning an appropriate commercial value to a parcel of grain based on end-use potential but at the same time satisfy the producers by giving the best possible return for his produce. Furthermore, to compete in the internastional market, Pakistan has to emphasize on both quantity and quality in line with the established exporting countries.

Superior quality in the category of medium hard, white wheat with high gluten content is the requirement of most of the Middle Eastern and African countries where flat bread similar to "nan and roti" is consumed, and for noodle making in Far Eastern countries. This characteristic of Pakistani wheat can be effectively exploited to compete in the international market.

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