Pakistan striving to enhance cotton production with China’s support: Food Minister

Gwadar Pro

Multan: Pakistani Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam has said that Pakistan was striving hard to enhance cotton production and Iron Brother China was providing generous support to achieve the goal.

Speaking at a news conference here at the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), the minister said China’s cooperation under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was playing a key role to boost the agriculture sector of the country.

He said that one million bales helped to generate Pakistani Rs 97.5 billion. “The government has set a target of 10 million bales during the ongoing season,” he added. Imam said that cotton cluster villages comprised of two to four union councils would be introduced in different areas. “Modernized farming techniques would be introduced in these cluster villages with an objective to motivate other farmers. Besides this, the government is paying immense focus on white gold (cotton) and hopefully cotton would be a strategic crop in the future. Pakistan used to export textile products worth over 15 billion dollars annually. Last year, the country has to import 4.5 million bales for local industry,” he said.

Imam announced that Cotton Cluster Villages would be introduced to promote the crop by ensuring modern technology in near future. “Cotton is a highly profit-generating crop as it strengthens the country’s economy and also offers job opportunities to millions of people in the country,” he said.

Fakhar Imam said special focus was being given on seed quality, enhancing sowing area, mechanization, and up-gradation of research institutes in consultation with the Chinese counterparts. About the current prices of cotton, minister observed that the government had introduced an intervention price of Rs 5000 per 40 kilograms in order to facilitate the farmers. He, however, added that the prices of cotton were also high in the international market.

Imam asked farmers to ensure clean picking of cotton so that they could find handsome prices against their produce. To a question about factors for the decline in cotton, he stated that climate change and pest attacks were the main causes for the decline in cotton, adding that the present condition of the crop was satisfactory.

He said the government would also promote quality seed having immense resistance against climate changes and pest attacks. The minister also hinted that ginners would be convinced to modernize their ginning units as per international standards.

About wheat, Imam said that country received historic production of 27.5 million tonnes which was a record. However, the government was importing wheat to maintain wheat stock in abundance.