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Cotton seed provision plan finalised

RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: Arrangements for providing certified cotton seed to growers were finalised at a meeting held here on Saturday.

It was decided that about 400,000 maunds of cotton seed of popular varieties will be made available for sowing during ensuing cotton season.

The meeting, presided over by the Director General, Agriculture Extension, Sindh, Aftab Ahmed Soomro, was attended by field officers and representatives of the Federal Seed Certification Department (FSCD) and Seed Corporation.

The total seed requirement, 89,000 maunds of certified seed, will be provided by Sindh Seed Corporation and private seed companies and the remaining by ginning factories.

The seed of ginning factories will be examined and approved through joint teams of FSCD and agriculture extension department.

It was also decided to further promote cotton sowing on ridges.

At present about 26 percent of the cotton area is cultivated on ridges and the remaining on flat beds.

The sale of sub-standard seed of banned varieties will be checked in accordance with seed act and decisions of Sindh Seed Council.