LAHORE: On Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved Rs 8,500 per 40 kilograms as the cotton’s support price, taking a significant step toward helping cotton farmers.
The issue should be brought up as soon as possible to the Economic Coordination Committee, the prime minister ordered. The prime minister urged the provinces to ensure the implementation of the cotton price while presiding over a meeting of the Agriculture Task Force. He referred to cotton as the foundation of the textile industry in the nation and expressed confidence that the move would help the farmers. PM Sharif emphasized the value of cotton in generating foreign exchange and promised that the federal government would offer the provinces all assistance possible in this area.
He mentioned that steps were being taken to boost per acre produce of cotton and directed the Ministry of National Food Security to finalize requisite proposals.
The meeting was informed that last year, the cotton produce faced exponential reduction due to floods, heavy rains, shortage of canal irrigation water, and the crisis of fertilizer.
This year, the overall cotton production has been estimated at 12.77 million bales, which is expected to witness significant growth as a result of the policies of the government.
The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Ishaq Dar, Syed Naveed Qamar, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Adviser to PM Ahad Cheema, and relevant officials.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday ordered to outsource collection and disposal of solid waste in the federal capital to provide services of international standard to the residents and reduce government expenditures.
The prime minister, chairing a high-level meeting to discuss the project of solid waste in the federal capital and its suburbs, called for floating an international tender to establish a coordinated solid waste management system in the city.
He instructed that a solid waste disposal system should immediately be launched in the city. A model of solid waste disposal already existed in Punjab as during his stint as Punjab chief minister, his government had introduced a project of international standard for waste disposal in Lahore, he added.
The prime minister said that all stages from solid waste collection to its transportation to the landfill site should be outsourced. In the second phase, power generation through solid waste should be planned, he added.
The meeting was told that work on solid waste project in Islamabad was going at a fast pace as land for the landfill site had been selected.
The prime minister said that outsourcing of solid waste collection and disposal would not only ensure the provision of quality services to the residents but also reduce the government’s expenditures.
The meeting was briefed in detail about the progress in the project. The prime minister instructed to execute the project within the stipulated time.
Former Members of the National Assembly Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Hanif Abbasi and Anjum Aqeel, commissioners of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.
