Punjab plans cotton revival to cut imports

Buoyant by the good wheat harvest, the government has decided to focus on the white lint to revive the most important cash crop of the Kharif season and subsequently the textile industry for reducing its import bill. The Punjab government has decided to provide irrigation water to cotton fields as a priority for achieving the over 8.2 million bales production target this season. Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo met Irrigation Secretary Wasif Khurshid in the latter’s office on Monday to discuss a plan for ensuring water supplies in the canals of south Punjab during the ongoing cotton cultivation. Director-General Agriculture (Extension) Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali, Chief Engineer Habibullah Bodla and Deputy Director Muhammad Adeel were also present. Mr Khurshid said that the irrigation department is providing south Punjab more water than its share on a priority basis so that cotton may be sown in the maximum area. He said that the Punjab irrigation department is facing a total shortage of over 27 per cent in the system this year but the south Punjab canals are being supplied 53,000 cusecs of water against its share of 45,000 cusecs.