Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi presided over a meeting at his office to assess the measures taken to enhance cotton cultivation and production.
He called for a rigorous crackdown on counterfeit pesticides across the province, instructing the police and line departments to take strict action against those involved in the production and sale of spurious pesticides. He emphasized the need to protect farmers from exploitation.
During the meeting, it was agreed to provide cotton growers with pesticides at subsidized rates through Punjab Bank's "Shandaar Cotton Program," facilitating easy loans for the cultivators. Additionally, the meeting revealed the initiation of an agriculture internship program to manage cotton crops and the upcoming launch of the Cotton Crop Management Advisory Service, led by young agriculture graduates. Furthermore, an international cotton conference is scheduled to be held in Multan.
The attendees were briefed by Commissioner Bahawalpur, who informed them that record-breaking cotton cultivation has been accomplished in an area spanning 208,400 acres in Bahawalpur. The CM and his team were lauded by the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) for their endeavors in achieving higher cotton cultivation across a larger area compared to the previous year. Experts expressed their views, underscoring the significance of using DAP, phosphorus, and urea fertilizers for optimal crop growth.
Secretaries of agriculture, irrigation and finance departments, APTMA's Fawad Mukhtar, and Anwar Ghani, commissioner Lahore, Chairman PITB and agriculture department representatives attended the meeting.
In addition, Commissioners from Multan, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, and Sargodha, along with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, participated in the session via a video link.