‘Cotton action plan to help earn $3b foreign exchange’

LAHORE : The implementation of Cotton Action Plan 2023-24 will help earn 3 billion dollars in foreign exchange.

Cultivation of cotton on a large area is a challenging task for which District Administration, Agriculture Department and other stakeholders are working together.

Secretary Agriculture, Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo expressed these views while presiding over a review meeting held at the Commissioner’s Office Dera Ghazi Khan regarding cotton cultivation.

Commissioner DG Khan Dr Nasir Mahmood Bashir, Deputy Commissioner DG Khan, Layyah, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh along with Director General Agriculture (Extension), Punjab Dr Anjum Ali, Director General Agriculture (Pest Warning) Rana Faqir Ahmad, Directors and Deputy Directors of Agriculture Extension and Pest Warning Department from DG Khan Division, progressive farmers and other related departments participated in meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, the secretary said that this year, in Dera Ghazi Khan Division, 0.971 million acres of area is being brought under cotton cultivation for which the district administration is providing full support to the field staff of the Agriculture Department so that cotton cultivation and production targets could be achieved.

On this occasion, Secretary Agriculture Punjab, while giving instructions, said that the irrigation department should ensure the availability of canal water during cotton cultivation and should be terminated canal blockage immediately so that cotton sowing can be completed in time.

He said that the field staff of Agriculture Extension and Pest Warning should provide technical guidance and support to the farmers and compiling the data of all the farmers.

He said the government has taken several practical steps under the historical package of cotton revival this year which will make cotton a profitable crop for the farmers this year. Also for encouragement, Cotton Production Competition 2023 is also being organised, under which the farmers who take significant production will be given cash prizes of millions of rupees at Provincial and District level. He also directed for checking the counter data from Revenue Department about cotton sowing. He said that Cotton Committees headed by Deputy Commissioners should hold regular weekly meetings at district level and solve the problems faced in cotton cultivation immediately and students of training institutes should be appointed to meet the staff shortfall.