BAHAWALPUR, Oct 24 (APP): Commissioner Bahawalpur Division Dr. Ehtesham Anwar has said that this year Bahawalpur has set a new national record by sowing cotton on 2.132 million acres of area, whereas the cotton was cultivated on 4.8 million acres of area in Punjab.
The share of the Bahawalpur division was more than 44 per cent. He said that the Multan division had previously set this record by sowing cotton on 2.102 million acres in 2006.
Talking to the media, he said that according to statistics, the national exchequer is expected to earn one billion dollars through cotton production from the Bahawalpur division.
The commissioner said that the credit for this national record goes to farmers who worked actively in the field. Administration officers of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, and Rahim Yar Khan districts also participated and the agriculture department played a key role in achieving the target.
He said that the cultivation of cotton in such a large area was done on the instructions of Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Raza Naqvi.
He wanted to collect 3 billion dollars in a short period of four months to deal with such a severe economic crisis. IMF took more than two years to release just one billion dollars for Pakistan.
Anwar said that Secretary of Agriculture Iftikhar Ali Sahu took a keen interest in achieving the target during these four months. He had repeatedly visited Bahawalpur to monitor the performance of the Agriculture Department.
He said that the cotton crop was highly affected due to the attack of pests. This situation improved with the cooperation of pesticide manufacturing companies. The drone technology was also used on a large scale for the first time. The pest attack was brought under control within a short period.
He revealed that CM Punjab will announce special cash awards for all those people who played their role in the excellent production of cotton in a short period.