ISLAMABAD: Government is considering to bring the cotton crop management under the administrative control of Ministry of National Food Security and Research in order to streamline the issues and challenges being faced by the major cash crop of country. The measure would also help enhance per acre crop output and produce quality and world-class cotton in the country. Before 18th constitutional amendment and devolving of the food ministries to provinces, the cotton crop was the subject of federal ministry of food and agriculture.
But after the constitutional amendment, cotton crop was put under the control of ministry of textile industry. In this regard, a committee headed by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Sartaj Aziz was also formed, seeking the suggestion from all the stakeholders to streamline the matter, said an senior official in the Ministry of Textile Industry. Talking to APP here on Tuesday, he said that the committee after its due deliberations had recommended the government for bringing all matters related to cotton crops under the control of ministry of national food security and research. Besides, it had also proposed to establish a special research cell in Pakistan Agriculture Research Council to expedite research and development activities in cotton sector for preparing high quality seed varieties to enhance crop output in the country.
The recommendations of the committee would be presented in the next meeting of the federal cabinet for approval, he remarked. He said that the move to put cotton crop under food security ministry would be a positive step for the policy formulation and would help in policy making for the production of cotton crop and other competitive crops in the country. It would also help to overcome the increasing issues of crop shifting and each crop would be equally focused in collaboration with the provincial agriculture departments, adding that the output of other crops would not be suffered.
The official said that ministry of national food security and research was already looking into the matters related to fertilizers, pesticides and seeds and putting the cotton crop under the same ministry would help in adopting an holistic approach to built the cotton crop pattern on strong lines. Giving the cotton crop back to food security ministry would also help in enhancing the cooperation, communications among and the provincial governments and their allied departments and international agencies for the promotion of agriculture sector, particularly growth and development of cotton crop across the country, he added.

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