The project launched to bring change in cropping pattern for replacing high delta crop with low water consuming high value crop has started yielding positive results.
This was observed by the provincial minister for Food and Agriculture Arif Mustufa Jatoi, while presiding over a meeting of growers, agriculture experts and representatives of seed companies at his office on Friday.
He said: "The cultivation of sunflower in sugarcane-cultivated areas is on the increase with the passage of time as it has started paying rich dividends to growers following the development of market mechanism for their produce."
He said there was report of potential loss to crop due to poor availability of seeds and also some of the seed companies have marketed sub-standard seed. He said in future such things would not be tolerated and punitive action would be taken against companies found guilty of marketing sub-standard seeds.
"Introduction of cotton cultivation in rice growing areas of upper Sindh is progressing with the passage of time and during the current season, an area of over 20,000 acres has been brought under cotton cultivation," he said and hoped that it would increase with the passage of time.
Reverting back to sunflower cultivation he said experts have evolved a schedule for sunflower cultivation indicating the need for irrigation, judicial use of fertilisers and application of pesticides. He hoped that the growers shaping their cultivation practices in accordance with the advice of experts would reap rich harvest.
He asked the representatives of seed companies to announce the price of their seeds before the crop cultivation season and list of their sale points.
The representatives of seeds companies assured the minister of their full co-operation to make the sunflower cultivation a success.