13-member body formed to enhance cotton production

MULTAN: Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday constituted a 13-member executive body to improve and enhance cotton production in the country.

The News has learnt that the Ministry of Agriculture and National Food Security secretary would head the body and it would start work on transgenic technology immediately.

Talking to this scribe, Central Cotton Research Institute Director Dr Zahid Mehmood said the body would consist of Cotton Commissioner Dr Khalid Abdullah and CCRI Director Dr Zahid Mehmood and representatives from private sector, including engineer Salim Qureshi and Amir Mirza.

The body would work on cotton pests and to discover new kinds of genes to develop pest and disease resistant cotton varieties.

Dr Zahid said whitefly and pink bollworm resistant cotton varieties would be developed from new discovered genes. The body would work to develop new cotton varieties of low water consuming, high yielding, which can survive in high temperature with the help of Transgenic Technology, he said.

Dr Zahid maintained inexpensive and profitable cotton varieties would be developed through genetic technology to get maximum production. The genetic technology would help to develop such cotton varieties that can reduce use of fertilizers and other inputs, he added.