Govt to ensure 100pc certified cotton seed supply for farmers

ISLAMABAD: In order to achieve the maximum cotton crop output during the current sowing season, arrangements have been finalized to ensure supply of 100 percent certified cotton seeds to farmers during the current Kharif season.

During the current sowing season, about 38,000 metric tons of certified and approved seeds of cotton would be available for growers across the country.

The total requirement of cotton seeds were recorded at 40,000 metric tons for the sowing season 2017-18, said an official in the Ministry of Textile Industry.

Talking to APP on Monday, he said that in order to ensure the availability of certified seeds, all the seed dealers had been directed to market cotton seeds as per standard germination of 75 percent.

The seeds dealers have also been asked to ensure the quality and quantity of the seeds as there should be no comprise on set standards, he added.

He further said that a campaign would be launched for sowing of only certified seed to enhance per acre crop output in the country, he added.

During the current Kharif season, cotton crop to be cultivated over 3.118 million hectares of land across the country to fulfill the domestic requirements as well as to exports, he added.

Cotton crop production targets during the season were fixed at 14.40 million bales as against the production targets of 14.1 million bales of last year.

Cotton crop to be cultivated over 2.429 million hectares of land in Punjab, where as in Sindh it would be sown over 0.650 million hectares of land during, he added. the current season.

Meanwhile, the cotton crop would be cultivated over 0.038 million hectares of land in Balochistan Province and about 0.001 million hectares in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province respectively, he added.

The cotton production targets for Punjab Province was set at 10.00 million bales and 4 million bales in Sindh, he added.

About 0.038 million cotton bales production were fixed for the Balochistan and 0.002 million bales in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the current crop sowing season.

The crop production targets were fixed at 14.1 million bales during year 2016-17, however, cotton sowing reduced by 20.82 percent in Punjab leading to overall 15.78 percent less sowing at national level, he added.