Crop Shifting Poising Threat For Major Cash Crop Like Cotton: Senate Body Told

Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research on Wednesday was informed that due to absence of appropriate crop zoning in the country, area under cotton sowing was drastically reducing by 26 percent and it was poising serious threats for the production of major exportable cash crop.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Dec, 2018 ) :Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research on Wednesday was informed that due to absence of appropriate crop zoning in the country, area under cotton sowing was drastically reducing by 26 percent and it was poising serious threats for the production of major exportable cash crop.

Briefing the committee, which met with Senator Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah in the chair, Cotton Commissioner Dr Khalid Abdullah said that cotton arrival in the local market was reduced by 700,000 bales as compared the corresponding period of last year.

He said up to December 15, about 9.96 million bales were arrived in the local market for ginning as well as for exporting as compared the arrival of 10.6 million bales of same period of last year.

He informed the committee that crop zoning was vital for sustainable agriculture growth and national food security and urged the need for proper regulation of industries for avoiding the crop shifting issues, adding that the crop zoning would also help in the efficient use of natural resources including soil fertility, water and environment.

The committee asked the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee to submit details of the preparations for the cotton sowing and arrangements made for Kharif 2019 and the availability of certified seeds, fertilizers and other inputs during the season to achieve the set targets of the production.

Meanwhile, Food Security Commissioner Dr Imtiaz Ahmad Gopang apprised the meeting that wheat crop has been cultivated over 8.011 million hectares of land across the crop producing areas of the country as against set targets of 8.833 million hectares.

He further informed the committee that crop sowing had been completed over 90.

7 percent areas by mid of December as compared the same period of last year. He said Punjab had achieved the sowing targets by 95 percent, Sindh by 73, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 94 and Balochistan 71 respectively.

The wheat had been cultivated over 6.155 million hectares, Sindh 0.845 million hectares, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 0.725 million hectares and in Balochistan it had been cultivated over 0.286 million hectares of land, he added.

Dr Imtiaz said healthy wheat crop output was expected during current season, adding that expected rains by the month of January, 2019 would bring multi pull impact on the wheat plant and help in its healthy growth to boost productivity.

He informed the committee that about 8 million tons carry forward stocks were available in the country, where as government had allowed the exports of 500,000 tons.

He said that wheat seed requirements for Punjab was estimated at 820,000 tons and out of the total required quantum about 73 percent certified seeds were available, where as the total seed requirements during the current season was recorded at 1,085,000 metric tons and 30 percent certified seed would be available for cultivation.

The chairman Pakistan Agriculture Research Council told the committee that the council had developed about 154 varieties of different crops, where as during 2017-18 27 varieties were developed and distributed for cultivations.

The committee expressed its concerns over the non-implementation of its direction by Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Supply Corporation to establish godowns in Umerkot and directed its head to submit the details of correspondence on land accusation with the Sindh Government.