PM focusing on strengthening cotton sector: Fakhar Imam

MULTAN: Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam Monday said Prime Minister Imran Khan was focusing on strengthening agriculture, particularly cotton sector.

Addressing a meeting at Central Cotton Research Institute, the minister said the government was reviewing reforms in cotton sector. He said the government was taking steps to introduce technology for the growth of the cotton crop in the country.

The minister said the government was introducing a quality control system to ensure the quality of cottonseed. He said efforts were being made to develop a futuristic plan for cotton. Pakistan is improving the quality of seed compared to other countries and expressed hope that the improvement in cotton crop would reflect from the current seasons.

The minister said the present government is making serious efforts for the rehabilitation and promotion of cotton in the country and steps are being taken to increase cotton production and reform research institutes in the future. Cotton agronomists from federal and provincial institutions participated in the meeting.

The minister said the purpose of the meeting was to devise a strategy across the country to revive cotton, increase production, make cotton a profitable crop and address the challenges facing cotton. This will not only benefit the farmers by increasing the production of cotton but also bring stability and improvement in the national economy.

The minister said one of the major reasons for the decline in cotton production is climate change while the cotton research institutes are facing shortage of funds and manpower. The government is making efforts to solve the growing problems and as a threshold the government introduced the intrusion price of cotton at Rs 5,000 per 40 kg as a credit goes to the present government, he said.

Fakhar said in order to increase the yield per acre of cotton, they are also seeking help from China to acquire new technologies and to make significant progress in the field of cotton research by focusing on capacity building of existing institutions in the country. He expressed hope that this year will be the year of cotton revival.

The modern seed technology will not only reduce the production cost of cotton but also make the cotton crop profitable. This will enable both the farmers and the country to move towards prosperity.

The minister said on the direction of the PM the government is taking all possible steps for the rehabilitation of cotton.. On the occasion, Special Assistant to the Ministry of National Food Security Dr Muhammad Akmal Siddique asked the participants to send their written suggestions to the Ministry of National Food Security within three days.

Later, a six-member delegation led by Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association ex-president Sohail Mehmood Haral, called on Syed Fakhr Imam and discussed cotton rehabilitation and cotton fiber standards in the country. The minister assured the delegation that the government would consider the proposals of PCGA regarding rehabilitation and promotion of cotton and fiber standards of cotton and every possible solution would be worked out.

The meeting was attended by Special Assistant to the Ministry of National Food Security Dr Muhammad Akmal Siddique, Cotton Commissioner Dr Khalid Abdullah, Director CCRI

Dr Zahid Mahmood, Dr Iqbal Bandisha, Dr Saghir Ahmed, Dr Rabia Saeed, Dr Manzoor Ahmed Manj and Sajid Mahmood.

Dr Mehboob-ur-Rehman from NABG, Dr Muhammad Ehsan from NARC Islamabad, Hidayatullah Bhutto and Muhammad Farhan from CCRI Sakrand and Musarat Hussain from Faisalabad Agricultural University also attended the meeting.