Bettering standard: Deal signed to transform cotton production

Agriculture department, WWF-Pakistan join hands to streamline organic cotton

LAHORE: The Punjab Agriculture Extension Department has joined hands with the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan to undertake activities focused on producing clean cotton crop.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) titled ‘Better Cotton Initiative’ was signed by the agriculture department and WWF-Pakistan representatives on Friday.

The five-year deal aims to undertake agriculture specific activities focused on widespread dissemination and promotion of the better cotton standard system in Punjab. The plan is divided into three phases which may work in parallel in different project areas.



The first two years will make up the first phase of the project, where WWF-Pakistan will work as the main implementing partner in collaboration with in-field implementation from the agri department. The third and fourth year – the second phase of the project – will see a reduction in WWF-Pakistan’s role in direct field implementation activities and the organisation will assume the role of a strategic partner.

In the third phase of the project starting from the fifth year, WWF will continue working as a strategic partner while the government department will take over all field-related implementation activities.

Organic cotton is grown without using chemical fertilisers or pesticides and is cultivated on land that is detoxified from residues of chemicals over a period of at least three years.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2017.