MULTAN: Agriculture Development Commissioner (ADC) Inayatullah Khan said on Thursday that domestic cotton consumption of Pakistan stood at 16 million bales per annum and government is working to fix a target of 15 million bales this year.
ADC said this after opening a three-day meeting of research sub committee of Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) at Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) here.
Agriculture scientists from all the research institutions working under the PCCC besides Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and the provincial government's research institutions attended the opening day of the meeting and presented results of the experiments conducted on the cotton last year, says a release issued by CCRI Multan.
Inayatullah Khan urged the agriculture scientists to produce such kind of Bt varieties which not only possess the quality to protect crop against diseases but also survive in water stressed situation and match the qualities country's textile sector seeks in cotton varieties.
He said that research on Bt cotton varieties was in progress at CCRI Multan and hoped the institute would soon come up with some good Bt cotton varieties for cultivation.
He said that agriculture scientists' research projects should be focused on meeting the needs of the farmers at cheaper cost.
ADC said that growers would get handsome price of their produce this year too like the previous year and urged them to bring more area under cotton cultivation to meet national requirements.
PCCC vice president Mohammad Arshad said that CCRI researchers were working hard to produce best cotton varieties and their efforts have contributed significantly in enhancing national cotton production.
He disclosed that comparatively more area was being brought under Bt cotton cultivation in Pakistan this year.
He urged the agriculture scientists to convey information to growers on agriculture technology so that they can play a vibrant role in producing exportable surplus for foreign exchange earning.
Cotton commissioner Dr. Khalid Abdullah, MD Punjab Seed Corporation Muzaffar Mehmood, PCCC Vice president MOhammad Arshad, Prof. Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad, DG NQARC and director Research PCCC Dr. Tasawwur Hussain Malik, Director CCRI Multan Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, Director CCRI Sakrand Dr. Mohammad Ali Kalroo, besides agriculture experts including Dr. Zahoor Ahmad Baloch, Dr. Ibad Badar Siddiqui, Muniruddin Khan, Rana Mohammad Saeed Iqbal, Dr. Mohammad Ali Chaang, besides agriculture scientists from PAEC, PARC and provincial research institutes and progressive growers attended the meeting.
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