Meeting discusses cotton sowing strategy

Punjab to promote early cotton sowing with high-yield varieties to boost production and land use.

LAHORE:

Suggestions have been sought from stakeholders and in light of these proposals an action plan will be finalised to promote cotton cultivation in Punjab.

These views were expressed by Punjab Agricultural Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo while presiding over a meeting at the Agriculture House, Lahore to devise a cotton plantation strategy.

He pointed out that early sowing of cotton would result in higher per-acre yields, adding that maximum land would be brought under cotton cultivation early in the season and only approved high-yielding varieties would be sown.

He emphasised that February and March were the most suitable months for early cotton cultivation. At the village and union council levels, unutilised land will be prioritised for cotton sowing and pieces of land vacated after the harvesting of oilseed crops will also be utilised for cotton cultivation.

Additionally, cotton will be planted in between the unutilised area of potato and sugarcane crops.