ISLAMABAD, Nov 5 (ABC): The government has proposed an 8.2% increase in the combined production target of three major oilseed crops for 2026–27, aiming to produce 883,732 tonnes of canola, sunflower and rapeseed/mustard against 817,100 tonnes achieved in the previous crop year.
According to official documents available with Wealth Pakistan, the government also plans to expand the combined cultivation area by 8.1% to 682,140 hectares, compared with 630,854 hectares cultivated during 2025–26.
The proposed expansion would add 51,286 hectares to the cultivation area, while production is targeted to increase by 66,632 tonnes.
The targets indicate plans to increase both cultivation and production across all three oilseed crop categories, with rapeseed and mustard continuing to account for the largest share.
Rapeseed and mustard production targeted to rise 7.4%
Rapeseed and mustard emerged as the strongest performers against their production targets during 2025–26.
Their combined output reached 603,404 tonnes, exceeding the target of 541,890 tonnes by 11.4%.
Similarly, the area under cultivation surpassed the target by 21.7%, reaching 490,219 hectares against the planned 402,810 hectares.
Building on this performance, the government has proposed increasing rapeseed and mustard production to 647,866 tonnes in 2026–27.
This represents a 7.4% increase over the previous year’s output. The proposed cultivation area also stands 7.4% higher at 526,505 hectares.
Punjab remained the largest producer of rapeseed and mustard, with output reaching 460,530 tonnes against its target of 407,000 tonnes in 2025–26.
For 2026–27, the province’s production target has been set at 506,000 tonnes, while the proposed cultivation area stands at 360,000 hectares.
Sindh and Balochistan also exceeded their production targets during the previous crop year.
Sindh produced 70,154 tonnes against a target of 68,630 tonnes. Meanwhile, Balochistan recorded 67,680 tonnes compared with its target of 60,890 tonnes.
Canola production targeted to increase by 10%
The government has also proposed increasing national canola production to 140,810 tonnes during 2026–27.
This represents an increase of approximately 10% compared with the 128,026 tonnes achieved in 2025–26.
The proposed cultivation area has been increased by 10.1% to 93,235 hectares, up from 84,704 hectares in the previous crop year.
Punjab remained the country’s leading canola-producing province, contributing 121,270 tonnes during 2025–26.
The province accounted for approximately 94.7% of national canola production, highlighting its dominant position in the crop’s cultivation.
For 2026–27, Punjab’s proposed production target stands at 133,000 tonnes, with 85,000 hectares earmarked for cultivation.
However, national canola production fell substantially short of its original target during 2025–26.
Actual output reached 128,026 tonnes against the planned 217,251 tonnes, reflecting a significant gap between targeted and achieved production.
Sunflower output targeted to grow by 11%
Sunflower production is also expected to increase under the government’s proposed targets for 2026–27.
The national production target has been set at 95,056 tonnes, approximately 11% higher than the 85,670 tonnes achieved during the previous crop year.
Similarly, the proposed cultivation area has been increased by 11.6% to 62,400 hectares from 55,931 hectares.
Punjab and Sindh recorded the largest sunflower production volumes during 2025–26.
Punjab produced 38,880 tonnes, while Sindh recorded output of 34,642 tonnes.
For 2026–27, their proposed production targets have been set at 43,000 tonnes and 39,570 tonnes, respectively.
However, sunflower production also remained below its original target during 2025–26.
Actual production reached 85,670 tonnes against the target of 127,740 tonnes, indicating that the crop did not achieve its planned output.
The official figures show that while rapeseed and mustard exceeded their production targets, canola and sunflower fell short during the previous crop year.
Nevertheless, the proposed targets for 2026–27 indicate plans to expand cultivation and increase production across all three major oilseed crop categories.
Rapeseed and mustard would continue to dominate national oilseed production, with a proposed output of 647,866 tonnes out of the combined target of 883,732 tonnes.
