MULTAN, Sept 28: The DAP fertilizer price will be reduced by Rs23 per bag within a couple of days, says Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock.

“The government has cut GST to make the DAP cheaper”, the minister told a meeting at the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) here on Sunday.

About hybrid cotton, Rind said the government had not yet taken any final decision about its cultivation in the country.

“We are still observing the situation, seeking opinion of research institutes and experts. We will work on it if it is beneficial”, he said.

Former president and Millat Party president Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, prominent growers Siddiq Akbar Bukhari, Maj Zahid Hussain retired, and senior officials of the agriculture department were present.

Rind identified hybrid cotton cultivation as a labour-intensive activity. Admitting that it was not being cultivated in Australia and USA, he said: “These countries main problems are shortage of labour and high labour cost which we do face in Pakistan.”

Hybrid cotton cultivation could reduce unemployment considerably due to its labour-intensive nature and government would consider it, he said.

“If hybrid cotton cultivation is beneficial for textile, ginning sectors, growers or any other, this benefit should be passed on to them,” he observed.

Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari supported the cultivation of hybrid cotton for export purposes.

Siddiq Akbar Bukhari said Bangladesh earned US$ 50,000 foreign exchange during last fiscal year through the export of hybrid cotton. He urged the government to encourage long staple hybrid cotton cultivation in the country.

Maj Zahid Hussain, however, expressed his reservations on the matter. According to him, Hybrid cotton cultivation was a costly and laborious activity, requiring hard work which might not be an easy task for common growers. Moreover, land in different parts of the country was also not suitable for its cultivation, he added.—APP