F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research Wednesday expressed grave concern over the year-by-year gradual shrinking of land under cotton cultivation across the country, terming it a potential damage to the country’s economy.
Chairing the meeting, Senator Syed Muzafar Hussain Shah, said the government should take immediate measures to save the country from such losses, highlighting the importance of specifying some zones for the cotton cultivation over which farming of no other crop is permissible.
The chairman of the committee also underlined the need for encouraging the production of long staple cotton crop, which is having considerable export value and could earn foreign exchange for the country.
He asked the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to come up with its own view and also take feedback from the provinces on how to enhance crop cultivation in the country.
The ministry was asked to have brainstorming session with the stakeholders and progressive farmers on how to enhance overall crop production and what steps should be taken to encourage cultivation of long staple cotton.
Meanwhile, briefing the committee, Cotton Commissioner Dr Khalid Abdullah said scarcity of certified seed, decreased profitability; and issues of plant population were the main reasons behind decrease in cotton production.
He suggested that cotton production should also be initiated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to enhance its overall yield.
He was of the view that priority to cotton districts by IRSA, reduction in electricity tariff for agriculture tube-wells would also be helpful in promoting cotton production.
He gave break ups of cotton production during different fiscal years, which, he said, had declined from 13.595 million bales in 2011-12 to 11.980 million bales in 2017-18.
The chairman asked the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) to organize wheat seminars with proper management and invite 50 growers from each district to participate the wheat seminar in their respective areas.
The PARC was asked to brief the committee in next meeting about the speakers who would deliver speeches in seminars and about the topics of their presentations.
Meanwhile, Zarai-e-Taraqaiti Bank Limited (ZTBL) President informed the committee that it had disbursed loans of around Rs3145.387 million since October 2018. He informed the committee that the bank had over 90 percent recovery rate on fresh loans.
On the occasion, the chairman said the matter of increasing the paid capital of ZTBL would be taken with finance ministry.
The PARC informed the committee about the appointments over 692 vacant posts in the council. The committee was informed that 98.3 percent of wheat sowing target has been achieved so far.
