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MULTAN, Feb 18 (APP):A spokesperson for agriculture department, Punjab, disclosed that Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced a special package to encourage farmers who opt for early cotton sowing.
Under the initiative, farmers who cultivate early cotton on 5 acres or more will receive Rs 25,000. This amount will be transferred to farmers’ accounts through the Chief Minister Punjab Kisan Card.
The recommended sowing period for early cotton, considering temperature conditions, is from February 15 to March 31. The most suitable districts for early cotton cultivation are in the Multan, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Sargodha, and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions. The Agriculture Department, Punjab strictly recommends sowing only Triple Gene cotton varieties for early cultivation.
The spokesperson stated that the seeds used for early cotton sowing must be certified by the Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department and should be of a pure Triple Gene variety. Otherwise, applying glyphosate spray will result in the death of non-Triple Gene cotton plants.
For optimal growth, the recommended row spacing for early cotton sowing is 2.5 feet between rows and 1.5 to 2 feet between plants. Farmers are advised to use high-quality, disease-free, and certified seeds of the recommended varieties.
For drill sowing of early cotton, farmers should use 2 to 3 kg of seed per acre. They should also arrange for an additional 10% seed to compensate for any gaps in the field. If the germination rate is 60%, farmers should use 5 to 6 kg of seed per acre, whereas for a germination rate of 75% or higher, 4 to 5 kg of seed per acre should be used.
On average, early cotton cultivation yields 50 to 60 maunds per acre. Farmers are encouraged to cultivate early cotton on vacant fields after harvesting Canola, Raya, and sugarcane.