Various Steps Afoot For Revival Of Cotton: Agri Minister

Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi on Wednesday said the incumbent government was taking various steps for the revival of cotton

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Dec, 2021 ) :Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi on Wednesday said the incumbent government was taking various steps for the revival of cotton.

While addressing a conference on cotton restoration and stabilization organized here at a local hotel, he said that standard and approved varieties of cotton were promoted this year in collaboration with the Federal government and got approved 19 new cotton varieties with DNA fingerprint as an integral part which will help in preventing substandard cotton seed in future.

Gardezi said that achieving 20 million cotton bales target was essential for the stability of the country's economy all stakeholders must work together for the purpose.

He informed that cotton crop was cultivated at over 3.1 million acres this year which yielded more than over 5.1 million bales. The cotton production in Punjab has ballooned by 50 percent during the current fiscal year as compared to last year.

Likewise, over seven million cotton bales arrived in the factories till Dec 1 as compared with last year figures which stood as over 4.6 million bales. This time, he informed, the factories received 2.5 million extra bales.

Terming the increase in cotton production as a good omen, the provincial minister said the surplus cotton over the last three years has delighted the farmers, ginners and textile industry.

Gardezi urged the ginners association to use new technology for ginning and said that most of the ginning factory owners were following the traditional methods which has reduced the demand for our cotton in the international market.

Later, talking to media, he stressed on the importance of modernizing the traditional method of ginning.

The minister said the cotton cultivation area would be extended.

Gardezi said the province had witnessed record production in six crops including wheat last year and hoped that the cotton will also be among the record yields by next season.

Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel said that this year 120 cotton demonstration plots were set up across South Punjab where the usual procedure of IPM was fully implemented.

Cotton Commissioner Dr Khalid Abdullah, Director Cotton Dr Saghir, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture (MNSUA) prof Dr Shafqat Saeed, President Kisan Ittehad Khalid Khokhar, Ginning Association members and others attended the conference.