{
  "id": 10561122,
  "title": "Rabi season: MNFSR to assess water availability, rainfall forecast",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/rabi-season-mnfsr-to-assess-water-availability-rainfall-forecast",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-28T23:48:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40441682/rabi-season-mnfsr-to-assess-water-availability-rainfall-forecast"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) is set to evaluate water availability and rainfall forecasts for the upcoming 2026-27 Rabi season during their next Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) meeting, scheduled in the first week of October. The committee, which includes representatives from various government departments and institutions, will also review the performance of Kharif crops and establish production targets for the forthcoming Rabi crops.\n\nDr. Shakeel Ahmed Khan, a former wheat commissioner for MNFSR, cautioned that a water shortage could negatively impact the largest Rabi crop, wheat. However, if sufficient rains occur in February-March 2027, the crop target might still be achieved. Agriculture expert Dr. Aslam Gill cautioned against premature projections regarding the impact of water shortage on Rabi crops, noting that reservoirs are currently at low levels. Total storage in the two major reservoirs, Tarbela and Mangla, fell below 9.5MAF ahead of the Rabi season, their lowest since 2021.\n\nDespite the water scarcity concerns, recent rains may maintain moisture for wheat sowing. If adequate rains occur in February and March, they could help offset the water shortage. Dr. Muhammad Azeem Khan, former Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), suggested that residual moisture from recent rains would support wheat sowing, particularly in rain-fed and irrigated areas. Additionally, tubewells in Punjab's irrigated regions would compensate for the projected water shortages during the Rabi season.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) will assess the availability of water, agricultural inputs, and the rainfall forecast for the 2026–27 Rabi season during the next meeting of the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) to be held in the first week of October. A senior official from the MNFSR told the correspondents that the ministry has not yet received water…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}