Agri officials not achieving target to face action

MULTAN: The Punjab government has ordered taking exemplary stern action against agriculture department officials on failing to achieve target until June 30 while officials would issue appreciation certificates on showing outstanding performance.The agriculture officials would have to face consequences on failing to bring maximum area of white gold, cotton under cultivation. Talking to journalists here Thursday, the Punjab Additional Secretary Agriculture Dr Ghazanfar Ali Khan warned the officials move in fields, involve in counselling with farmers and motivate them to ensure cotton sowing at maximum area. The agriculture department has directed all the field officers to approach even the owner of a single acre farmer for sowing cotton, he said. The Punjab government has been facilitating growers transferring most modern production technology. The government has ensured production targets from cotton seeds through research institutions and seed farms, he said. The government has adopted zero-tolerance against the selling of spurious pesticides and fertilizers while a crackdown would be launched on adulteration mafia, and there is no room for their survival, he remarked.The government has assigned targets to pesticide inspectors and fertiliser controllers and no negligence would be tolerated in this connection, he warned. The adulteration mafia would have to face tough time on selling spurious pesticides and fertilisers.Dr Ghazanfar said the department had planned sowing of cotton over 5.5 million acre in the province during this Kharif season and all resources were being used to achieve the target. Cotton growers are provided Rs1,000 on each bag of cottonseed. The subsidised cottonseed is provided to growers in three divisions, including Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur for 100,000 acre land. The subsidy is provided on phosphorous and potash fertilisers which has key role in reducing per acre expenses. The government has introduced Beema Takaful scheme to secure financial interests of growers while Rs40,000 mark-up free loans are being released through E-Credit scheme. Meanwhile, addressing a meeting held in connection with cotton preparations, the Punjab Agriculture Task Force Additional Secretary Ali Arshad said that Punjab Agriculture department had prepared a list of more than 17,000 seed dealers and 9,000 dealers are receiving training on cottonseed utilisation and issued licences to more than 2,500 dealers for selling seeds. Only licence holder dealers would be allowed selling seeds. Around 16 companies were providing subsidised cottonseed. He said that all the stakeholders should play their respective role in achieving bumper cotton crop.

from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2Uy9OWY