20000331

EU envoys team

visits CCRI Multan

MULTAN: Dr Zahoor Ahmed, Director, Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan, has said Pakistan has a great potential for more cotton production. It can produce 17 million bales per annum.

He said although the area under cotton cultivation has increased only 3 items the production has increased ten times, i.e., from 1.1 million bales to 11 million bales and from just five textile mills to 503 mills since independence.

Dr Zahoor said this while briefing a 14-member European Union envoys delegation who paid a visit to the Institute on Wednesday.

The delegation members, EU envoys along with their wives, comprised ambassadors of Greece, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Portugal, alongwith Italy's first Secretary and British Deputy High Commissioner.

On arrival at the CCRI, the delegation was taken to the museum of wild species of cotton collected from different parts of the world by Dr Zahoor Ahmad, Director, CCRI.

The CCRI Director explained during the briefing that there has been tremendous improvement in the production of cotton since 1947. Pakistan started with 5 textile mills at the time of independence and now there are 503 textile mills in operation.

Although the area under cotton cultivation has increased only 3 times the production has increased ten times, i.e., from 1.1 million bales to 11 million bales since then.

Dr Zahoor further told the distinguished guests that presently, cotton is the main source of Pakistan's foreign exchange earning which provides employment opportunities to millions of people here.

He said it is the main source of income in the rural areas where women are employed for picking of cotton and it has been estimated that the annual income to women in Pakistan from cotton picking is around Rs 7,800 million taking 10 million bales as the base of production.

Discussing the constraints of cotton production in Pakistan, Dr Zahoor mentioned that high temperature, especially during night and low organic matter in soils, are the common factors which make the plant "heat-sensitive" and results in the low ball weight.

Dr Zahoor mentioned that uptill CCRI, Multan has released eight cotton varieties. Since the epidemic of Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV) in the country, this Institute has released five virus-resistant, heat-tolerant and high-yield varieties which are being grown on more than 50 percent of the cotton area under cultivation in Pakistan.

He said thus the spread of virus on cotton in Pakistan was successfully contained. The varieties developed at CCRI are also grown in virus-hit areas of Sindh i.e., Ghotki district. The programme of F1 commercial hybrid programme, long-staple cotton and colored cotton are also in hand.

Later, the members of the EU delegation left for village 152/10-R, Tehsil Jahanian, District Khanewal to inaugurate the electrification project there.ÑAPP