Punjab minister vows to produce 20m cotton bales

MULTAN: Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Hussein Jehania Gardezi Wednesday urged cotton growers and other stake holders to play their role in producing 20 million cotton bales target at any cost.

Addressing a moot on cotton rehabilitation and stabilization, the minister expressed his determination to produce 20 million cotton bales at any cost and asked all stakeholders concerned to contribute in this regard at all level to meet the production target.

He said the present government was taking steps for the rehabilitation of cotton and in this regard standard and approved varieties of cotton were promoted in collaboration with the federal government. He said 19 new varieties of cotton were approved with DNA fingerprinting as an integral part of it which will help in preventing future substandard cotton seeds.

The minister said this year cotton crop has been sown on 3.16 million acres of land which would yield more than 5.168 million bales. Cotton production in Punjab province has increased by 50 percent during the current financial year as compared to last year. Compared to the previous season, till December 1 this year, 7,168,118 bales of cotton have arrived in the factories whereas in the same period last year, 4,468,118 bales of cotton have come to the factories, he said. The factories have received 2.52 million more bales of cotton. He said 36,790,16 bales of cotton have arrived in the factories in Punjab. Last year, 2,634,487 bales of cotton came to the factories.