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| April 27, 2003 | Sunday | Safar 24, 1424 |
Plans to achieve cotton output target discussed
HYDERABAD, April 26: District-wise plans are being chalked out to achieve the cotton production target of 2.4 million bales for the year 2003 in Sindh.
This was said by the director-general of the agriculture research and extension, Sindh, Malik Mohammad Akram, while reviewing the cotton sowing position at a meeting held here on Saturday.
The cotton sowing area, he informed, had been fixed at 541,000 hectares, adding that cotton had already been sown over 34,844 hectares by April 15 in Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad and Badin districts.
Referring to the preparation of the district-wise production plans, he said that the target for the cotton plantation area had been bifurcated up to district-level.
According to the new plans, he said, cotton would be sown over 72,300 hectares in Khairpur, 117,200 hectares in Ghotki, 28,800 hectares in Sukkur, 30,800 hectares in Naushahro Feroze, 64,700 hectares in Nawabshah, 102,000 hectares in Sanghar, 45,400 hectares in Mirpurkhas, 46,800 hectares in Hyderabad, 6,200 hectares in Badin, 8,300 hectares in Dadu and 500 hectares in Thatta district districts.
Mr Akram said that cotton had been successfully introduced by the agriculture department in the rice growing areas of upper Sindh.
He said that the cultivation target given to Larkana district this year was 5,000 hectares, Jacobabad district 8,000 hectares and Shikarpur district 5,000 hectares.
The DG, agriculture research, cautioned that cotton crop was highly susceptible to pests and diseases, adding that proper plant protection guidance would be provided to the farmers in this regard.
Mr Akram said that reddening of leaves in the cotton crop had been reported last year in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar and Nawabshah districts and a a project had been launched this year to study the disease.
The project, he added, had been launched with the assistance of the federal government.
He said a campaign would also be launched against the sale of spurious and sub-standard pesticides.
MINISTER: Efforts were being made by the government to resolve the people’s problems, provincial minister Naeem Ishtiaq said while speaking at an open kutchehry at Tando Haider here on Friday.
Regreting that Tando Haider had been neglected in the past, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s leader said that the local girls’ school would be upgraded, adding that he would soon hold talks with the officials of the education department in this regard.
He also promised to hold talks with the PTCL officials to resolve the problem of
digital telephones in Tando Haider.
Mr Ishtiaque said that he was aware that the people of the area had been facing difficulties because of the absence of a well-equipped hospital and dispensary in the area, adding that the development of health and education sectors were among the main priorities of the government.
The minister promised to lift ban on government employment, saying that joblessness was one of the major issues faced by the government.
He said that the Sindh governor and chief minister were working together to resolve the problems of the people.
The minister, on the occasion, also received applications from the people and passed on the spot orders for the resolution of genuine problems.
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