RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Caretaker Punjab Minister for Agriculture, Food and Planning & Development Sardar Tanvir Ilyas has said the department is striving hard for achieving target of cotton sowing on an area of 5.7 million acre.

He was speaking at the third meeting of Cotton Crop Management Group (CCMG).

On this occasion, the secretary agriculture said the department is acting on zero tolerance policy against adulterated pesticides and fake fertilizer sales. In this regards, pesticide inspectors made possible 165 raids during 2018-19 and registered 165 FIRs against persons while confiscated more than Rs 30 million adulterated pesticides. Wasif Khurshid was of the view that cotton bumper crop during this financial year is top priority of the government of Punjab because whole economy depends on its high production.

For immediate relief of cotton growers, the government is providing approved varieties of cotton seed up to 50 percent subsidized rate and also provided subsidy voucher of Rs 700 per cotton bag to core area of cotton growers. More that Rs 14 million is being spent for provision of agricultural machinery to cotton growers. To save cotton crop against pink bollworm attack, Rs 96.2 million spent were on PB Ropes that was installed on 50 districts of Punjab on 50 acre blocks.