APTMA Cotton Revival Plan: Agri dept delegation visits APTMA

LAHORE: The Minister for Agriculture, Government of Punjab, Sayed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani, along with Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, visited the APTMA office Lahore Wednesday.

The delegation also included senior officials from the Punjab Agriculture Department, notably Dr Anjum Buttar (Executive Member, PARB), Abdul Hameed (Director General Agriculture Extension), and Naveed Asmat Kholo.

The visiting delegation was warmly received by Chairman APTMA Kamran Arshad, Chairman APTMA North Asad Shafi, Treasurer North Mohammad Qasim, S M Nabeel, Muhammad Ali Chaudhry, Energy Advisor Tahir Basharat Cheema, Secretary General APTMA Raza Baqir, and other senior members of APTMA.

During the meeting, Chairman APTMA Kamran Arshad briefed the delegation on APTMA’s role and the critical contribution of the textile sector to Pakistan’s national economy and exports. He highlighted that, in addition to high energy costs, the textile industry is facing a severe crisis due to the continuous decline in domestic cotton production. He expressed serious concern that if urgent corrective measures are not taken, cotton cultivation could disappear from Pakistan.

Chairman APTMA informed the house that APTMA is proactively working to revive cotton in close collaboration with key stakeholders, including Green Pakistan Initiative, Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA), Pakistan Kisan Ittehad, and others. Through extensive consultations, APTMA has developed a comprehensive Cotton Revival Roadmap, which includes the establishment of a central R&D controlling body the Pakistan Cotton Board. He emphasized that the implementation of this APTMA-developed cotton revival plan is essential to safeguard the future of cotton in Pakistan.

Asad Shafi, Chairman APTMA North, stated that Pakistan has the capacity to double its textile exports provided that energy tariffs and raw material prices are made competitive.

Dr Muhammad Javed, Cotton Advisor APTMA, gave a detailed presentation on the cotton revival plan, stressing the urgent need for the establishment of the Pakistan Cotton Board at the national level. He informed the participants that the Cabinet Committee on Cotton Revival, chaired under the leadership of the Deputy Prime Minister, has already issued directions for the implementation of the APTMA-developed cotton revival plan.

Addressing the meeting, Minister Agriculture Punjab Sayed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani thanked APTMA for its leadership and reaffirmed the full support of the Government of Punjab to the textile industry. He stated that cotton is Punjab’s main cash crop, and the province cannot afford a further decline in cotton area and production. He shared that over the last two years, the Punjab Government has made strong efforts to revive cotton cultivation, though further coordinated actions are still required.

The Minister highlighted that water-intensive crops are not a sustainable option in many parts of Punjab. He referred to the ban on early rice cultivation last year, which helped promote early cotton sowing and yielded positive results. He further informed that Punjab is engaging with countries such as the United States and China to strengthen research collaboration and develop climate-resilient cotton seed varieties. The Minister offered full cooperation to APTMA and invited its officials to the Agriculture Department for a detailed technical session. He also assured that the APTMA Cotton Revival Plan would be transformed into a collective national plan after consultations with farmers and all stakeholders.

Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo informed the meeting that Punjab has finalized its Cotton Strategy for 2026 well in advance. He strongly endorsed the need for a central national cotton body to control and coordinate R&D, terming it the only sustainable solution for the revival of cotton in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026