Cotton to be sown on 5.7m acres in Punjab: Lodhi

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Punjab Agriculture Department is to increase the per acre yield and the area of cotton cultivation to achieve its production target of 8 million bales of cotton, Punjab Agriculture Minister Muhammad Arshad Khan Lodhi said on Sunday.

The minister told a group of farmers here that growers in the province are being provided with information and training for production enhancement through seminars and conventions at village level. He said this year cotton would be cultivated over 5.7 million acres of land.

Mr Lodhi said information would also be disseminated through the media. “All the wings of the Agriculture Department have been directed to work actively and develop close liaisons with farmers right from the time of cotton sowing to production,” he said.

He added that in addition to cotton growing districts, farmers in Jhang, Toba Tek Sing, Sahiwal and Pakpattan are being persuaded to sow cotton on their land.

The minister said only six varieties of cotton, resistant to the Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV), are allowed to be planted. These are CIM 473, 446,443,483, FH 900 and 901. Mr Lodhi said his department had chalked out a plan to fight CLCV. He said cotton, except of the FH 900 variety, would be sown from May 1 to June 10 while FH 901, whose cultivation began in April, would be sown up to May 15.

“Moreover, with the help of irrigation authorities, the availability of canal water for the respective zones has been managed,” he added. The minister said measures were also being taken to control the adulteration of pesticides and fertilizers.

Home | National