HYDERABAD, June 2: Field officers of agriculture extension have been directed to launch a campaign to ensure sowing of cotton on 630,000 hectares in Sindh. The directive was issued by Sindh agriculture secretary Sabhagho Khan Jatoi while presiding over a meeting of field officers, representatives of farmers, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides companies and the Seed Certificate Agency and cotton experts here on Thursday.

He said the cotton production target for the year had been fixed at 3.2 million bales. He said area and production targets had been distributed at district level.

He maintained that the position of inputs was satisfactory. However, he said, if there was any shortage or the inputs were not of good quality, it should be immediately reported and action be initiated against parties concerned.

Farmers informed the meeting that due to weather changes, there was problem in germination which was being covered through re-sowing.

The agriculture secretary constituted three committees for lower middle and upper Sindh to monitor the cotton crop and study problems confronting farmers.

The district-wise area and production targets of cotton crop are: Khairpur 82,000 hectares, 417,014 bales; Ghotki 111,000 hectares, 564,435 bales; Sukkur 38,000 hectares, 189,099 bales; Naushahro Feroze 45,000 hectares, 224,880 bales; Nawabshah 65,000 hectares, 332,471 bales; Sanghar 130,000 hectares, 687,871 bales; Mirpurkhas 60,000 hectares, 296,314 bales; Hyderabad 63,000 hectares, 322,241 bales; Dadu 16,000 hectares, 80,898 bales; Badin 5,000 hectares, 24,693 bales; and Tharparkar and Thatta districts 5,000 hectares, 2,352 bales.

The meeting was informed that during the last few years, the agriculture department had promoted cotton in non-core and rice districts of upper Sindh also. Their area and production targets are: Jacobabad 10,000 hectares, 47,622 bales; Shikarpur 5500 hectares, 25,944 bales; and Larkana 6500 hectares, 30,954 bales.