Summary The committee directed Cotton Commissioner to submit a detailed report on the local cotton produce.
ISLAMABAD (APP) – The Senate’s Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research Wednesday voiced its concern over consistent decline in cotton produce in the country and called for immediate remedial measures for sustainable economic growth.
The committee, which met here with Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah in the chair, also called for constituting a special committee to find out the reasons for declining cotton yield, and suggest ways and means to increase the same.
Senator Muzaffar while stressing the need for developing heat tolerant and insect resistant high yield cotton seed varieties, said one third of the cotton crop during the current year was destroyed due to heat waves. Some 10 million cotton bales were expected against the target of 15 million bales, he added.
The committee directed the Cotton Commissioner to submit a detailed report on the local cotton produce, the issues and challenges faced by the farmers, and the measures taken to address them.
It also asked the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to fix minimum support price of cotton to protect the farmers and encourage them to grow more crop in future.
The Secretary National Food Security and Research informed the committee that the matter of indicative price of cotton had been taken up with the authorities concerned.
Attributing the low cotton yield to the use of conventional seed varieties, he stressed the need for providing special grants to the institutions such as the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and the Pakistan Central Cotton Commission (PCCC) for research to develop new seed varieties.
Senator Hafiz Abdul Karim said the wheat price had increased by Rs 300 per 40 kilogram while that of the flour had risen to Rs 2,000 per 40 kilogram.
The Secretary Food apprised the committee the government had fixed the wheat support price at Rs1,300 per 40 kilogram, while the commodity was now available for Rs1,648 per 40kg in the market.
He said the domestic annual consumption of wheat was 26 million tonnes and its sufficient stock was available to meet the local needs.
He said in Punjab the price of 20kg flour bag was Rs 808.
The Indus River System Authority chairman told the meeting that during current Rabi season, the water flow in four canals were 65,000 cubic feet against 55,000 cubic feet last year.
The Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) president informed the committee about the bank’s credit schemes for the agricultural sector.
