LAHORE, Oct 18: The government, after achieving procurement target of one million cotton bales through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), will take a decision to further enhance it.

Punjab Minister for Agriculture Brig Khurshid Zaman (retired) observed this while talking to a Kissan Board Pakistan (KBP) delegation of which met him here on Thursday.

He said enhancement of target was quite possible and the Punjab government would support it. Revision of procurement target has helped in stabilizing cotton price, he added.

Fixation of support price for sugarcane at the rate of Rs42 per 40 kilograms has also fulfilled another important demand of the growers, he maintained.

Brig Zaman also claimed that rice growers were getting reasonable return for their produce.

KBP president Sadiq Khan Khakwani and secretary general Mian Muhammad Ilyas led the delegation. They demanded increase in cotton procurement target up to 2.5 million bales. They also demanded Rs60 per 40 kgs sugarcane support price.

The delegation also drew the attention of the minister towards short measuring of their produce, specially the sugarcane, and demanded that the government should constitute committees to monitor weigh machines.

They also demanded that rice procurement targets should be fixed for PASSCO.—APP