October 18, 2003	Saturday	Sha'aban 21, 1424

MULTAN, Oct 17: Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock has reportedly postponed the meeting of Standing Committee on Cotton Crop Assessment, which was to he held here on October 18.

The SCCCA meeting was scheduled to be held at the central cotton research institute to ascertain the size of current cotton crop. Sources in the Minfal said that first it was decided to convene the meeting on October 20 (Monday) instead of October 18, but later on it was put off without announcing the next date.

A Minfal source said in fact a meeting of the Federal Committee on Agriculture was already scheduled to be held on October 25 at the federal capital to review the cotton situation in the light of reports by the provinces.

FCA comprises federal and provincial ministers and secretaries of the agriculture and is considered as the apex forum to review matters relating to the agriculture.

The source said it was in principle decided that first the provinces should come out with their respective potential viz-a- viz cotton production this year and then the SCCCA should deliberate upon to estimate the crop size, keeping in view the outcome of the FCA meeting and other factors, such as, pattern of Phutti (seed cotton) arrival at the ginneries and the damage caused to the crop in the wake of pest pressure and non- availability of pesticides at the crucial stage of late boll formation.