LAHORE, March 19: Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has directed the constitution of raiding teams to swoop in on those selling adulterated pesticides in the province.

Those manufacturing and selling adulterated pesticides would be taken to task, he said while presiding over a meeting on how to increase the cotton production in the province here on Wednesday.

The chief minister said the government would ensure the supply of pure pesticides and fertilizers to the farmers so that they could grow better crops.

Adequate funds would be allocated for expanding the research network so as to promote agriculture sector and resolve problems of farmers. It would be necessary for the agriculture researchers to guide farmers so that the targets of various crops could be achieved.

Earlier, the chief minister said that a comprehensive strategy had been chalked out to increase the cotton production the export of which would help earn the much needed foreign exchange.

Meanwhile, presiding over another meeting the chief minister directed the forming of a committee comprising senior officers to survey state land for setting up more industrial estates in the province.

He said an industrial network would be created in the province under the public-private partnership. Under this programme services like power, gas and banks would be provided to the industrial estates, accelerating the pace of industrialization.

Chief minister’s advisor Jahangir Tareen said an institution would be established to devise new strategy for speeding up the industrial progress. This institution would also ensure implementation of the industrial policy. The country could overcome poverty and unemployment and have economic stability only through industrialization, he said.