LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo has said that the provincial government has fulfilled its promise of giving better rates to cotton growers this season as cotton market stability will make the farmers prosperous and have positive effects on the next crop.

He was presiding over a meeting organised to monitor the current situation of cotton, says a press release issued here on Sunday.

He said the condition of cotton across the province was satisfactory and priority measures were being taken for better care of the crop, whereas the hotspot of pest attacks were being sprayed with pesticides with advanced chemistry to control the damage.

The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary Agriculture Task Force Shabbir Ahmad Khan, Consultant Agriculture Extension Dr Anjum Ali, Director-General (Extension) Dr Ishtiaq Hassan, Director Crop Reporting Dr Abdul Qayyum, Director Information Rai Mudassar Abbas and others.

Mr Sahoo was told that the overall condition of cotton in the province was good as the harvesting phase of the early sown crop was going on.

Attacks of white fly and pink bollworm have been reported from some areas but they were below the economic threshold level, whereas agriculture extension and pest warning teams were spraying pesticides in the hotspots.

The secretary was also told that Sahiwal and Bahawalpur divisions were facing canal closures due to high floods. But so far the cotton crop is safe as not many areas under cotton cultivation have been flooded.

Mr Sahoo directed to make necessary arrangements to protect all crops in the flood-affected areas and sought a close liaison with the irrigation department in this regard to monitor the flood situation.

He said that technical guidance should be provided to the farmers for picking of clean cotton as the next two weeks were very important to achieve the cotton production target set for Punjab. Apart from this, monitoring of the arrival of cotton in the ginning factories should continue so that effective strategies can be set for the next crop with the help of data.

He stressed that the cotton crop would help improve economic stability in the country; therefore, all officers and staff should discharge their responsibilities as a national duty.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2023