PESHAWAR: The recent rain spell in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has given hopes to small growers in rainfed areas of the province for partly recuperating their standing wheat crop.

The rainwater has come as a blessing for farmers of the rain-fed parts and the irrigated areas of the province alike, leaving them with renewed hopes to reduce their losses.

`Rains were much needed, particularly in the Barani areas of the province where the standing wheat crop has suffered slow growth due to scarcity of irrigation water,` said Naimat Shah Roghani, president of Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.The province is risking decline in wheat production this year due to low rains. Out of the one million tons wheat produced annually in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 52 per cent comes from the rain-fed parts.

The rain-fed parts of the province, according to Mr Roghani, have been hit hard owing to below seasonal rains during the Rabi season, causing losses to thousands of small farmers.

Wheat growers from Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, and Dera Ismail Khan, when contacted, said the rainwater would help recover their losses partly. However, their optimism depends on some more rains in the coming days to speed up crop`s development.

The province did not receive rain in December last year whereas rains in January this year also remained below average. This caused scarcity of irrigation water in the rain-fed areas, affecting negatively the germination process in the central and southern districts of the province.`If more rains don`t come, the wheat crop will be gravely affected,` said samad Safi, general secretary of Kisan Board, district Nowshera chapter.

According to him, the rain-fed areas in Swabi, Mardan, and Nowshera all major wheat producing districts are expected to record around 50 per cent drop in wheat yield this year compared to the previous year.

`The crop has suffered a lot in the Barani areas, the recent rains would not be sufficient if not followed by some more rains in the next few days,` said Mr Safi.

As a result of rainwater shortage, vast tracts covered with wheat in the rain-fed parts of Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, and Charsadda have come under termite attack. In several areas, wheat growers had not sprayed their standing crop with pesticides due to water shortage.

Pesticide sprays work only if they are instantly followed by water, according to Mr Safi.

Muhammad Iqbal Khan, a small wheat grower from Gandi UmerKhan, Dera Ismail Khan, said the district received few showers not enough for wheat crop.

`The crop has already gone weaker, the rainwater would make only little difference,` said Mr Khan, adding that some more rains in the coming few days could help the crop development.

The crop had suffered due to diseases as a result of non-application of pesticides by the farmers, he added.

`It (farming in the rain-fed areas) is a gamble as everything depends on the rainfall, which makes small farmers to avoid using pesticides unless there are rains,` said Mr Safi.

The rains recorded on Sunday and Monday, said Mr Roghani, had come at the much wanted time when farmers were readying to sow tobacco and sugarcane in the central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts.

The rainwater, he added, would benefit the standing crop and farmers would also feel confident to start preparations for cultivating sugarcane and tobacco in Swabi, Mardan, and Charsadda.