Government decides to increase cotton-sowing area

Agriculture Development Commissioner Inayat Ullah Khan has disclosed that the federal government has decided to increase cotton sowing area by promoting cotton crop in Bhakkar, Sargodha, Jhang, Mianwali and Pothohar plateau of Punjab, DI Khan, Tank Districts of KP and Sibi, Loralai, Nasirabad, Chaghi, Dera Bughti, Jaffarabad, Uthal, Lasbela, Khuzdar districts of Balochistan to achieve the target of 150 million bales before 2012.
He said that there was a consensus among all the progressive farmers, agricultural scientists that better crop management and increase in cotton sowing area were the prerequisites for improvement in yields. He also suggested that varieties and quantity of seed for the different areas keeping in view their ecological condition needed to be worked out and communicated to plan timely availability/placement of seed in proposed areas.
Local farmers, while appreciating the government efforts assured their full support and co-operation in boosting up the per acre yield besides bringing more are under cotton crop. Inayat also explained some teething problems in introducing any crop in new areas in general but provision of subsidised seed in particular for launching the project, he said.
The Director General, Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department (DG, FSC&RD) Mohammad Nasir Hussain Shah, expressed the pivotal role of seed in better production of any crop. He urged the seed companies to ensure supply of better seed of cotton with permissible germination standards. In case of any relaxation in germination, the seed bags must be clearly marked with percent sign ie % of germination and the quantity of seed per acre to facilitate the farmer in selection and sowing correct quantity of seed to achieve optimum plant population.