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LAHORE, Feb 28 (APP): Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani on Friday said transforming South Punjab into a “Cotton Valley” was a key mission.
He said this while presiding over the review meeting on early cotton sowing held at Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Agricultural University Multan, said a press release issued here.
He said that cotton played crucial role in driving the national economy and added that Punjab Chief Minister had assigned a special task for the revival of cotton. He said all possible resources were being utilized to promote early cotton cultivation and the availability of certified seeds of triple-gene varieties was being ensured in the market.
The provincial minister further announced that farmers cultivating cotton on five acres or more would receive a subsidy of Rs 25,000.
He highlighted that the Green Pakistan initiative was a revolution in modern agriculture and with the joint efforts of the Punjab government and Green Pakistan Initiatives, the agricultural economy would be strengthened.
He said, “The foundation for a modern agricultural revolution in Cholistan and Punjab has been laid.”
Agricultural scientists had been assigned a special task to discover climate-smart cotton seed varieties, he added.
He further said that strict monitoring was being conducted to ensure the availability of quality agricultural inputs in markets. The minister reiterated the Punjab Chief Minister’s directive to eliminate adulteration in fertilizers and pesticides, aiming for a zero-percent adulteration rate.
Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said the all stakeholders must actively participate with a national spirit to enhance cotton cultivation and production. He said that this year, a target of 1 million acres had been set for early cotton sowing and efforts were being made to strengthen the connection between the Punjab Agriculture department and farmers to improve activities related to cotton revival. Encouraging results were being seen in early cotton cultivation and strict actions were being taken against unauthorized cotton seed businesses, he added.