Bahawalpur shatters cotton-sowing record
There are light rains in the cotton belt in Sindh. The soil has absorbed the rainwater instead of it standing in the fields. A similar quantum of rains is needed for a good output of cotton this season. PHOTO: REUTERS
Commissioner Bahawalpur Division Dr Ehtesham Anwar announced that Bahawalpur set a new national record by sowing cotton on 2.13 million acres of land this year. In total, cotton has been cultivated over 4.8 million acres of land across Punjab. Bahawalpur division comprises more than 44 percent of all cotton sown in the province.
Dr Anwar said Multan had previously set this record by sowing cotton over 2.10 million acres in 2006. Addressing the media on Tuesday, he said that according to statistics, the national exchequer is expected to earn $1 billion through cotton production from Bahawalpur division alone. The Commissioner said that the credit for this feat goes to farmers who toiled in their fields.
Read: Improved cotton yields
Administrative officers of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan also participated and the agriculture department played a key role in achieving the target.
Dr Anwar added that the cultivation of cotton on such a large area was carried out on the instructions of Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi. He wanted a means of generating $3 billion in a period of four months to deal with the severe economic crisis. For context, the IMF took more than two years to release just $1 billion for Pakistan.
Dr Anwar said that Secretary Agriculture Iftikhar Ali Sahu had taken a keen interest in achieving the target during these four months and had frequently visited Bahawalpur to monitor the performance of the Agriculture Department.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2023.