With global warming becoming a major cause for concern everywhere, Pakistan’s Ministry of Textile, in association with the Meteorological Department, is set to organise a number of conferences on ‘climate change’ at both the national and local levels. These seminars aim at educating the cotton growers in the country about the changing environment dynamics and its effect on the crop.
The Ministry has planned 18 workshops and seminars in the Sindh province, and 20 programmes in Punjab, for educating the farmers about climate change and crop management.
Speaking on the government’s plans, Dr Khalid Abdullah, Cotton Commissioner, Ministry of Textile Industry, said, “Steps are being taken to avoid impacts of climate change on the major cash crops, including cotton, in the country, besides educating the growers and field extension workers of the provinces to minimize the challenges of climate change on cotton crop.”
In the recent times, climate change has affected several crops, including cotton. Expressing his concern over the issue, Abdullah said that cotton arrival during the current season has witnessed 33 per cent rise in local markets across the country.
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About 44 per cent decrease in cotton arrival has been recorded in the Punjab province that were attributed to climate change including unprecedented rains, pest attacks and harsh weather across the cotton growing areas the country, he added.
Commenting further on remedial measures taken by the government for the cotton crop production, Abdullah said that the Ministry of Textile has already organized two-national level seminars in January in Punjab and Sindh provinces for educating farmers about the climate change and its after effects.
In addition, the ministry, in collaboration with Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), is also holding awareness seminars at the doorsteps of the growers living in remote areas of the county. The seminars would train the farmers on pest management and how to prevent the infestation of the cotton crop by pink bollworms.
Abdullah added that the textile ministry has set a target to train around 40-50 farmers in every session, and about 88 farmers have been trained in the national level session alone.
The Ministry also plans to start a master trainer’s programme, under which over 200 master professionals from the field extension departments of the provincial agriculture departments and other workers from non-governmental organizations will be trained to impart knowledge at local level on crop management, climate change and pesticides managements.
