LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Agriculture, Syed Hussain Jahania
Gardezi Wednesday said that acquisition of 20 million bales of cotton is essential for the stability of the national economy for which all stakeholders have to work together.
While addressing a conference on sustainable solutions for cotton restoration here, the minister said that the incumbent government is taking steps for the revival of cotton and in this regard, approved varieties of cotton were promoted this year in collaboration with the Federal Government.
Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi said that 19 new varieties of cotton have been approved with DNA fingerprinting as an integral part which will help prevent substandard cotton seeds in the future.
He said, “Cotton was planted on 31 lakh and 60 thousand (3,160,000) acre of land during 2021 and more than 5.168 million bales have been produced. Cotton production in Punjab has increased by 50 percent during 2021 as compared to the last year. Compared to the previous season, 71,68,118 bales
of cotton have arrived in the factories till December 01, this year as against 46,48,118 bales of cotton in the same period last year.”
The provincial minister said that 36 lakh 79 thousand sixteen bales were produced in Punjab while 26 lakh 34 thousand 487 bales came in cotton factories across the province.
Welcoming the increase in cotton production, he said that the surplus production of cotton over the last three years has brought a wave of happiness among the farmers and the textile industry. He urged the Ginners Association to use new technology for ginning and said that most of the ginning factory owners are using the traditional method which has reduced the demand for our cotton in the international market.
Hussain Jahania Gardezi stressed on the need of modernizing methods of ginning over traditional. He said that during the last financial year, the production of 06 other crops including wheat has increased in the province. It is hoped that next season cotton crop will also be included in the record
yielding crops, he added.
Speaking on this occasion, Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel said that Department prepared 120 demonstration plots where IPM methods were fully practiced and this also become a model for cotton growers to follow the same.
Cotton Commissioner Dr. Khalid Abdullah, Director Cotton Dr. Saghir Ahmad, Prof. MNS Agricultural University Multan Dr. Shafqat Saeed, President Kissan Ittehad Khalid Khokhar, Ginning Association and media representatives were
present in the press conference.
