Islamabad, October 09, 2020 (PPI-OT): A meeting of a four-member delegation of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association was held with Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjarani here at the Parliament House on Friday. The delegation was led by Dr. Jaso Mall T. Limani, Chairman Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association. The members of the delegation briefed the Chairman Senate about substantial decrease in the cultivation and production of cotton crop in Pakistan. The delegation informed Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani that about 15 million bales of cotton were produced in Pakistan which have declined to around 7 million mainly due to decrease in cotton cultivation and production.
The production has dropped that low due to unavailability of quality seeds and modern machinery. As a result the trend of cultivating alternative crops has increased among the farmers who have started cultivating other crops in cotton areas. They were of the view that situation can’t imrove until new varieties of quality seeds and modern machinery is made available to the cotton farmers. In order to increase the cultivation and production of cotton, there is an urgent need of a full attention of the concerned institutions for provision of new varieties of seeds through dedicated research on modern lines.
Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjarani while expressing concern on the decline in cotton cultivation and production in the country said that cotton was a trade mark of Pakistan. Good quality cotton was produced in Pakistan which subsequently ensured products of high quality cloth exports. He emphasized the need for coordination between the Ministries and organisations involved in the agriculture sector, including the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of National Food Security and Agricultural Research Departments and stressed that the private sector should be involved in increasing the research in production of quality seed paving the way for cultivation and production of cotton in the country.
Chairman Senate tasked Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Chairman, Senate Standing Committee on Commerce, to prepare a comprehensive report in consultation with the concerned ministries and research institutes to assess the decline in cotton production and exports. Suggestions for increasing cotton cultivation and production can be sought from all stakeholders. Chairman Senate said that new varieties of cotton seeds and access of modern machinery to the common farmers could improve the cultivation and production.
He said that cotton was being cultivated in Punjab, Sindh but trend has emerged in Balochistan as well but there is a dire need for a coordinated strategy to increase production. Chairman Senate was accompanied by Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Commerce Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi and Senator Dr. Ashok Kumar.
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