‘Complete cotton sowing by 31st’

LAHORE:The Punjab Agriculture Department has asked the growers to complete sowing of cotton by May 31.

Dr Sagheer Ahmad, cotton director, said that during 2017-18, average cotton production was recorded 20.48 maunds per acre and in 2016-17, it was recorded up to 20 maunds.

In 2017-18, cotton was cultivated on an area of more that five million acres and in 2016-17, it was cultivated of an area of 4.86 million acres. In 2016-17, Punjab province produced 6.78 million bales of cotton while in 2017-18, Punjab produced 8.77 million bales of cotton. In other words, production increased up to 15.78 percent in Punjab. Dr Sagheer said that the increase in production was a result of many factors. During 2017-18, Pink Bollworm attack was in a minor extent due to implementation of Section-144 on early sowing of cotton. The department is acting on zero-tolerance policy against adulterated pesticides and spurious fertilisers. In this regards, the pesticide inspectors till March 15 made possible 121 raids and registered 121 FIRs. They confiscated adulterated pesticides of more than Rs 30 million. He was of the view that cotton bumper crop during this financial year was top priority of the government because whole economy depended on its high production. He said the provincial government was devising the “2025 Cotton Mission” plan.