Meeting discusses steps to maximise cotton output

The Committee on Cotton Crop Production Enhancement, constituted on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held its maiden meeting that primarily focused on the immediate steps needed to increase cotton production as Pakistan's harvest decreased significantly.

Participants of the meeting, chaired by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, engaged in extensive discussions, where they provided valuable insights and recommendations.

Pakistan Central Cotton Committee Vice President Dr Yusuff Zafar briefed the meeting on the current cotton production scenario. He, along with other participants, highlighted several pressing issues including the lack of high-quality seeds, absence of proper area zoning, insufficient research on genetically modified organism (GMO) seeds, discriminatory tax policies, undocumented cotton production and need for better awareness campaigns.

Stakeholders emphasised the importance of promoting those crops that could spare land for early cotton sowing. In that regard, they cited the examples of onion and mustard crops.

Rana Tanveer Hussain assured all participants that their feedback would be incorporated into the final report and reiterated that the committee's primary goal was the effective implementation of strategies that could maximise cotton production.