ISLAMABAD - Raw cotton exports from the country during eight months of current financial year grew by 38pc as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.

During the period from July-February, 2017-18, about 33,683 metric tons of raw cotton worth $55.551 million exported as compared the exports of 23,476 metric tons valuing $40.225 million of same period of last year.

According the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics exports of cotton yarn increased by 1.87 percent as about 332,325 metric tons of the cotton yarn worth $859.716 million exported as against the exports of 302,652 metric tons valuing $843.953 million of the same period of last year, the data reveled.

Meanwhile, country earned $1.391 billion by exporting about 1,380,282 thousand square meters of cotton cloth, which was recorded at 1,391,436 thousand square meters valuing $1.424 million in the corresponding period of last year, it added.

It may be recalled that textile group exports from the country grew by 7.17 percent during the period under review as textile products worth $8.793 billion were exported as against the exports of $8.205 billion of same period last year.

Meanwhile, country earned $274.407 million by exporting the other textile material as compared the exports of $266.022 million of same period last year.

Cotton sowing target to be achieved: secretary

Secretary Agriculture Muhammad Mahmood on Wednesday said cotton growing had been started in the province and the department was striving hard to achieve a target of cotton sowing on an area of six million acres.

Cotton growers were advised to sow cotton seed of approved varieties and the department had announced approved varieties  for cotton cultivation, he said and added that due to hard work of the department and its initiatives cotton production increased  up to 14 per cent during the financial year 2017-18 as compare to 2015-16.

He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting  of cotton crop management unit here which was attended by Fatima Benish Sahi, Additional Secretary Agriculture  (task force), Prof Dr Asif Ali, Vice Chancellor Muhammad Nawaz  Sharif Agriculture University Multan, Dr Abid Mahmood, Director General Agriculture (Research), Dr Sageer Ahmad and others. The secretary said the department was acting on zero tolerance  policy about fake pesticides and fertilizers sales.

Mahmood was of the view that cotton bumper crop during this  financial year was a top priority of the government because the  whole economy depended on its high production. He said the provincial government was also devising '2025 Cotton Mission' plan.

For immediate relief to cotton growers, the  government was providing approved varieties of cotton seed up to 50 per cent subsidized rate and also providing subsidy voucher Rs700 per cotton bag to core area of cotton growers.

He said cotton high yield seed production Rs350.889 million was  being spent on 'Commissioned Research Programme' and for  white-fly control, the government was spending Rs39.612 million  to provide genetic modified varieties of cotton crop.