‘Meeting cotton target essential for stability’

Punjab agriculture minister directs all stakeholders to unite for the purpose

MULTAN:

The government of Punjab is taking various steps for revival of cotton and achievement of target of 20 million bales is essential for stability of the country’s economy, said Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi.

Addressing a conference on cotton restoration and stabilisation in Multan on Wednesday, he stressed that all stakeholders should work together for the purpose.

“Standard and approved varieties of cotton are being promoted this year in collaboration with the federal government and 19 new cotton varieties have been approved with DNA fingerprint which will help in preventing substandard cotton seed in future,” he said.

He informed the participants of the conference that cotton crop was cultivated at an area of over 3.1 million acres this year and it had yielded more than 5.1 million bales.

He added that cotton production in Punjab ballooned by 50% during the ongoing fiscal year compared to the previous year.

Likewise, over 7 million bales of cotton had arrived in the factories till December 1 against last year’s figure of around 4.6 million bales.

Factories received 2.5 million extra bales this year, he said.

Terming the increase in cotton production good omen, the provincial minister said that surplus cotton had delighted the farmers, ginners and textile industry over the past three years.

Urging the ginners association to use new technology for ginning, Gardezi said that majority factory owners were following traditional methods that had reduced the demand for domestic cotton in the international market.

He also underlined the importance of modernising traditional method of ginning.

The minister reiterated that cotton cultivation area would be extended.

“Punjab witnessed record production of six crops including wheat last year,” he said and hoped that cotton will also be among the record yields by next season.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2021.

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