Industrialist demand support price for cotton to secure its status as profitable option.

MULTAN -- :A noted industrialist has urged the government to announce support price for cotton after consulting all stakeholders to encourage farmers keep cultivating cotton and maintain their faith on silver fibre's profitability. Khawaja Jalaluddin Rumi, Chairman of Multan Dry Port Trust (MDPT) and had also served in past as Punjab minister for industries, told a news conference that reports regarding import of cotton worth US$2 billion were worrisome indicating that not enough cotton was being produced in the country. Rumi said, government need to make cotton growers stand on their own feet and bring back those to cotton cultivation who have opted for other profitable alternatives.

He said that subsidy on fertilizers should be given direct in cash to farmers cultivating up to 50 acres of land. Enhanced cotton cultivation would also improve the lot of rural women, he said pleading that these women would be able to earn more. Currently, wages to cotton picking women come around to Rs 1.25 billion annually, he said.

He sought incentives for agriculture scientists on introducing new varieties and research bodies be made more effective and result oriented. Rumi also sought effective steps to check sale of substandard pesticides and seeds. Rumi said that deviation from crop zone strategy was detrimental to cotton crop adding that cultivation of sugarcane in cotton areas was not only causing more water consumption but also make government pay subsidy. He appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to launch an emergency programme for cotton and Balochistan should also be focused to bring more area under cotton cultivation. He said...