Industrial Cluster: Pakistan Increases Annual Cotton Production In The Next Two Years

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An official from the Ministry of national food security and research said that the federal department, in collaboration with provincial governments and other stakeholders, is also developing a multi pronged strategy to maximize cotton production to achieve sustainable agricultural growth and increase farm income.

He said the government also intends to announce intervention prices for major cash crops before the start of the planting season to encourage farmers to maximize cotton acreage. Another factor contributing to the increase in cotton production is the investment of growers in crop management, who have applied enough fertilizers and pesticides to eradicate pest attacks, he added, adding that training programs and seminars will also be organized to maintain this momentum.

In order to increase crop yields per mu across the country, efforts were made to ensure access to certified high-yield seeds, adding that four trigene cotton varieties and seven double gene varieties were also commercially approved by the provincial seed Committee for planting in Pakistan. The certified seeds of the approved varieties are sufficient to grow more than 3 million hectares for use by private seed companies and public sector seed companies, adding that the Ministry of national food security and research will also organize a national cotton conference, which will involve all stakeholders, including growers and the industry.

The Ministry has also approved a development project for the introduction and development of cotton in the new Gomal Zam areas of Khyber phtunkhwa and Balochistan to expand the area horizontally. He said efforts should be made to use the largest amount of land for cotton production through capacity-building for potential farmers, providing cotton related machinery and strengthening cotton research systems in these provinces.

Subsidies for cotton seeds, whitefly specific insecticides and fertilizers are likely to continue this season as it was provided last year, adding that the Department is also working on a cotton Development Authority Bill to understand cotton research, grading and standardization and licensing of transgenic technologies.

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