Cotton crop facing climate challenges

MULTAN: The cash crop cotton is an imperious crop but facing a key challenge from climatic conditions, affecting production capacity of soils.It was said by Punjab Directorate of Agriculture Information Director General Naveed Asmat Kahloon while talking to The News here on Monday.

He told that the Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD) had adopted an aggressive strategy to bring maximum area under early cotton in South Punjab.He informed that Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahu had devised a strategy for early sowing and held meetings in this regard. The early cotton was being sown over an area of 380,000 acres in Multan, 150,000 acres in Dera Ghazi Khan and 215,000 acres in Bahawalpur, he continued.

The early cotton would also be sown in Faisalabad and Sargodha divisions and parts of the rest of the province, he maintained.He said that Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali had chaired a high-level meeting in Multan to review the strategy for early cotton sowing.

Speaking on the occasion, the Agriculture secretary stated that achieving the cotton sowing target was a challenging task. Six divisions of Punjab had been identified as suitable for early cotton sowing, he added. He mentioned that one million acres had been designated for early cotton cultivation in Punjab. The sowing period for early cotton was from February 15 to March 31, he continued.

Additionally, the secretary added, a financial assistance of Rs 25,000 had been approved for early cotton sowing.The secretary clarified that all relevant officers and staff had been assigned specific targets with a special task to play an active and dynamic role in the field to achieve these goals.

He emphasised that early cotton sowing had yielded better results in the context of climate change.He told that cotton management committees had been established at the divisional, district and tehsil levels to ensure the success of the cotton campaign.

Moreover, he added, strict monitoring was being conducted to ensure the availability of high-quality agricultural inputs in markets.Later, Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali visited the under-construction Model Agriculture Mall in Multan. He reviewed the pace of construction work and expressed satisfaction over its progress. He directed that the Model Agriculture Mall must be built strictly according to the approved design. He also instructed the Building Department officials to ensure the early completion of construction.

During the briefing, the Building Department officials informed the secretary that 80pc of the work on the Model Agriculture Mall had been completed. On this occasion, the secretary stated that the area adjacent to the Model Agriculture Mall would serve as a practical demonstration of modern agricultural technology.

Meanwhile, the PAD organised a mega seminar on Early Cotton Cultivation in Multan.The seminar was attended by Members of the Provincial Assembly Rana Muhammad Saleem, Malik Lal Muhammad Joiya, former MPA Rana Ejaz Ahmad Noon and others.

Addressing the seminar, Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahu emphasised that cotton holds a crucial place in the national economy. He stated that all possible resources and measures were being utilised to achieve this goal, with approximately 40pc of the total target to be cultivated in the Multan Division.The agricultural scientists had been assigned a special task to develop climate-smart cotton varieties, he revealed.

Experts had been tasked with discovering varieties capable of yielding at least 40 maunds per acre, he told. He stated that practical steps were being taken to ensure affordable access to quality agricultural inputs.

All the stakeholders must play an active role in achieving the early cotton sowing target, he suggested. The availability of high-yield cotton seeds in the market was being ensured and private sector’s cooperation in the awareness campaign was commendable.