LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmad Langrial has called upon all stakeholders of the cotton crop to extend their helping hand to achieve the cotton production target.
'The government is doing its best and utilising all the available resources but cooperation by rest of the stakeholders is unavoidable,' the Minister said while chairing the third meeting of the Cotton Crop Management Group here on Saturday.
The Minister said that situation of cotton crop at present is satisfactory but it is in a very sensitive phase. He directed the field formations to pace up their activities to guide the growers. He said that the Secretary Agriculture, Director Generals and he himself are visiting different areas to inspect field services. He claimed that the provincial government had completed all necessary preparations to meet any situation arising out of recent rains, floods or any other calamity.
Nauman Ahmad Langrial said that the agricultural task force had recovered fake and spurious pesticides worth over Rs 170 million during 2018-19 and got registered 900 FIRs against 1000 people involved in heinous business. He claimed that the government was extending financial resources for agricultural research and had spent over Rs 16 billion during last two years under this head.
Speaking on this occasion, provincial secretary agriculture Wasif Khursheed said that pest warning officers and other staff from research institutes and agricultural universities had been deputed in cotton zone for better take care of cotton, guidance of growers and increase in per acre yield. He said that additional staff will continue performing its duties in the field till October 15, 2020.
Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel informed the meeting that 22 female officers trained over 8000 female cotton pickers in cotton zone.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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