Islamabad: A delegation of United States Department of Agriculture visited Ministry of Textile Industry to discuss the different methods of cooperation regarding the Cotton Productivity Enhancement Project. The meeting was chaired by secretary of the Ministry of Textile Industry Shahid Rashid.
Speaking on the occasion Secretary Shahid Rashid said that a proper mechanism will be made so that all stake holders could be taken on board. He also proposed to establish an advisory board. He further said that a proper time framework should be followed so that objectives of the project could be achieved on time.
Dr. Brian Scheffler, the lead research scientist of USDA, said, “project will focus on three areas i.e. germ plasma collection, capacity building, and use of biotechnology in solving the Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV) issues in Pakistan”. The above mentioned are the major causes of low productivity of cotton in Pakistan. Almost, 4 million bales of cotton are destroyed by CLCV only, every year.
It may be mentioned that Cotton Productivity Enhancement Project is a project launched by USDA under Kerry-Lugar Bill. Its basic aim is to conduct mutual research in different fields to increase the cotton production in Pakistan. Furthermore, it is a totally USDA funded project of 4.2 million dollars, and it will be completed in three years.
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