ISLAMABAD/MULTAN - The first plenary meeting for the cotton crop will be held on February 14 (Wednesday) to discuss and deliberate the ways and means to enhance the output of the crop during the coming season to achieve sustainable agriculture growth and economic development in the country.
The meeting will evaluate the per-maund cotton price during the forthcoming season to ensure a proper rate of return to local growers, besides encouraging the farming community to bring maximum area under cotton cultivation, said Cotton Commissioner in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research Anjum Shahzad. Talking to APP here on Tuesday, he said that the meeting will also make deliberations to overcome the challenges faced by the cotton growers and suggest innovative measures and best crop management practices to enhance the per-acre output of cotton during the next season.
He said that due to the measures introduced by the government during last season, the cotton output gained momentum and recorded over 8.354 million bales, adding that efforts will be made to further boost the crop production during the coming season to strengthen the government’s efforts to develop the agriculture sector in the country. He said that the uptick in the cotton sector would help to promote industrial growth and economic development in the country, adding that the government was taking steps to ensure an adequate supply of all inputs during the crop season to achieve maximum output.
Meanwhile, agriculture experts have advised farmers to complete sowing of early cotton triple gene varieties from mid-February to March end to maximize gains. In a statement issued here Tuesday, an agriculture spokesman citing experts’ opinion, said that farmers from Sargodha, Multan, Faisalabad, and Sahiwal districts should sow registered seed varieties approved by the Punjab government including triple gene cotton varieties from Feb 15 to Mar 31, 2024. He said that triple gene varieties including CKC-1, CKC-3, CKC-5, CKC-6, Ghauri-2, and ICI-386 would prove to be productive and profitable in case of sowing from Feb 15 to Mar 31, 2024. Moreover, he added that early sowing would also lessen the chances of pest attack on the crop and would reduce crop management expenses, the release concluded.
