MULTAN: Caretaker Provincial Minister for Energy, Industries and Commerce SM Tanveer stressed the need for implementation of the Chinese Model in cotton to produce quality and bumper crops.
While chairing a virtual meeting, the provincial minister stated that the adoption of modern technology was of vital importance to enhance per-acre productivity.
Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ateel briefed that cotton was on the decline due to the unavailability of quality seeds and outdated technology. The crop had reduced to 60 per cent, he added.
He however, added that all possible steps were being taken to promote white gold. The minister stressed the use of artificial intelligence and the China model in order to achieve targets in cotton.
He observed that billions of rupees were being spent on the promotion of cotton. He also urged scientists to launch joint venture research programmes with international bodies for enhancing cotton. Cotton is a major crop for earning foreign exchange.
A special committee headed by Vice Chancellor Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture was also constituted to present a detailed report on how to improve cotton crops.
Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahu also suggested seeking assistance from China. The coordination and cooperation among local and international scientists is highly important in this regard.