Punjab eyes target of 6m cotton bales

LAHORE:All possible resources and measures are being employed to achieve the target of six million cotton bales, said Secretary Agriculture, Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo while chairing a meeting on Saturday to review the current condition of the cotton crop focusing in detail on crop care and achieving production targets.

Referring to field reports, Sahoo termed the current state of the crop as satisfactory but directed timely spraying in pest hotspot areas to curb their spread. Secretary Agriculture further emphasized expediting ongoing activities for crop care to protect it from potential damage.

He added that cotton picking has begun in some areas, and the Ginning Association has expressed readiness to operationalize factories soon. He also stated that strict monitoring is being carried out to ensure the availability of quality agricultural inputs in the markets so that farmers receive timely and effective support.

In this regard, special discounts are being offered on pesticides at farmer facilitation centres and daily sales records are being maintained to ensure transparency.

The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary Agriculture (Task Force) Punjab M Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Director General Crop Reporting Punjab Dr Abdul Qayyum, Agriculture Department Consultant Dr M Anjum Ali, and other officials while Director Generals of Agriculture Ch Abdul Hameed, Naveed Asmat Kahloon and Aamir Rasool participated via video link.