SAHIWAL: The Sahiwal division has achieved 76 per cent of its cotton sowing target of 110,000 acres set by the Punjab government and the agriculture department.

The division’s three districts — Sahiwal, Okara, and Pakpattan — were assigned cotton sowing targets of 72,000 acres, 15,000 acres, and 23,000 acres, respectively. However, according to recent data, the district could achieve cotton sowing on only 60,000 acres, 9751 acres, and 14,000 acres, respectively, which makes 76pc of the total divisional target.

This was informed by Shabaz Akhter, Director Agriculture, during a briefing to the Divisional Cotton Crop Management Committee, headed by the commissioner, constituted by the Punjab agriculture department to oversee progress and ensure regular monitoring of cotton sowing.

The director said his department contacted more than 50,000 farmers, conducted 11 events and held 1,800 village training programmes in the division to encourage cotton sowing.

Deputy Director Tahir Javed said the department set up 23 agricultural counseling centres across the three districts to provide free advice on cotton sowing and crop protection. He said nine centres have been set up in Sahiwal, eight in Okara, and six in Pakpattan.

Given the decline in Pakistan’s cotton production, from 10.3-10.4 million bales annually, down to 3.5 to 4.0 million bales, necessitating the import of cotton to meet domestic needs, the Punjab government, in collaboration with the agriculture department, is mobilising farmers to sow the Ageeti (early) crop.

The department is encouraging local growers to return to cotton farming, as many have shifted to other cash crops like potatoes, beans, canola, vegetables, and maize.

Sources say the agriculture department had set cotton sowing targets for eight divisions of Punjab for 2024-25.

They say cotton sowing targets of 4151,000, 204,000, 114,000, 7,000, 980,000, 742,000, and 1994,000 acres have been set for Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Kasur, Multan, DG Khan and Bahwalpur divisions, respectively. There would be no cotton sowing in Gujranwala and Gujrat divisions, they add.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2025