LAHORE: More than 800,000 acres of land in Punjab have been brought under early cotton cultivation this year — more than double the area sown during the same period last year — due to a special incentive package and a province-wide awareness campaign.
Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, in a statement issued Tuesday, credited the sharp increase to the Chief Minister’s Rs 25,000 per acre incentive for early sowing, alongside a timely campaign launched by the agriculture department across six divisions of the province.
Sahoo said the campaign not only promoted early cotton sowing but also discouraged early rice cultivation, leading to improved results. So far, 266,000 farmers were personally engaged by agriculture extension field staff, of which 180,000 were registered for early sowing. Among them, 145,000 farmers successfully cultivated early cotton.
All registered growers have been documented, with third-party validation ensuring data accuracy. Only triple-gene cotton varieties were recommended for sowing, Sahoo noted, adding that researchers have been tasked with developing climate-smart varieties in response to shifting weather patterns.
He said the second phase of cotton cultivation is currently underway and will continue until April 30, with field formations instructed to intensify advisory services.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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