Iftikhar Sahu stresses early cotton sowing
MULTAN: Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahu stressed for the early cotton cultivation campaign during a farmers’ convention held at Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Multan on Saturday.
The event was jointly organized by the Agriculture Department Punjab and Fatima Fertilizer and attended by a large number of farmers, agricultural experts and stakeholders from across the South Punjab.
Addressing the convention, Iftikhar Sahu said the government had set a target to cultivate early cotton on 700,000 acres during the current season in Punjab. He said the target would be achieved in the divisions of Multan Division, Sahiwal Division, Faisalabad Division and Dera Ghazi Khan Division.
He said cotton and its allied products play a vital role in the national economy, adding that all available resources were being utilized to overcome challenges faced by the sector and promote modern farming practices.
The secretary informed that a Rs2 billion programme was being implemented to develop Bahawalpur Division as a “Cotton Valley”. He also assured farmers that sufficient stocks of DAP and urea fertilizers were available in markets for the “Kharif” season.
He said that the government had already provided interest-free agricultural loans worth Rs250 billion to around 800,000 farmers through the Kissan Card programme to support agricultural activities.
Agricultural experts at the convention briefed farmers on modern cotton production technologies, improved cultivation practices, pest and disease management and methods to increase yield.
Among others, Special Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Sarfraz Hussain Magzi, Commissioner Multan Division Aamir Kareem Khan, Vice Chancellor of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Prof Dr Asif Ali, President Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, senior officials of the Agriculture Department and representatives of Fatima Fertilizer attended the event.
Later, Sahoo formally inaugurated the campaign by driving a tractor to mark the start of early cotton sowing in the province. APP
