The province has cultivated the cotton at over 183,000 hectares of land as against its proposed targets of about 6,50,000 hectare during current crop season of the year 2011-12.

This was stated by Cotton Development Commissioner in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MinFA), Khalid Abdullah while talking to APP here on Monday.

He said the country is set to produce 15 million cotton bales this year and added the total targeted areas for the cotton cultivation would be finalized in the 94th meeting of Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA).

He said that according to field reports received by the Punjab province, the crop has been sown at over 273,347 hectares, achieving the 11 percent of the targets for the season as it has proposed to cultivate cotton at over 2.5 million hectare of land during the year 2011-12.

In Balochistan, he said that cotton was cultivated in 19 districts adding, among these 7 districts would be focused for enhancing the output of the crop to increase farm income as well as alleviating poverty in these ares.

The government was focusing on the districts including Turbet, Khuzdar, Lesbala, Sebbi, Loralahie, Khran and Kohelo of Balochistan to enhance crop production by cultivating it over 100,000 acre of land to fulfill the domestic requirements of local textile industry as well as for export purpose.

Besides, he said that the initiative would help to increase of cotton production in the country and alleviating poverty in these areas.

Khalid Abdullah said that 33 percent certified seed was available for farmers while remaining consumption would be fulfilled by the farmers' own seeds which were shared by farmers to farmers in their respective areas.

The regulatory bodies are keenly observing the distributions of pesticides, seeds and other inputs for avoiding the adulteration in inputs adding that concerned authorities were directed not to tolerate any violation in this regard, he added.