LAHORE: Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo has said that agricultural development and the prosperity of farmers is one of the top priorities of the current government. He was addressing a farmers’ convention held at Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Multan, under the cotton production campaign jointly organised by the Agriculture Department Punjab and Fatima Fertilizer. Iftikhar Ali Sahoo attended the event as the chief guest, while a large number of farmers and stakeholders associated with the agriculture sector also participated. Among the participants were Special Secretary Agriculture (South Punjab) Sarfraz Hussain Magzi, Vice Chancellor Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan Prof Dr Asif Ali, Commissioner Multan Division Aamir Kareem, Additional Secretary Task Force Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Director Generals of the Agriculture Department Punjab Abdul Hameed, Naveed Asmat Kahloon, Dr Aamir Rasool and Dr Abdul Qayyum, Consultant Agriculture Department Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali, President Kissan Ittehad Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, and Dr Saeed Iqbal of Farmer Advisory Services at Fatima Fertilizer, along with a large number of farmers and agricultural experts. During the convention, agricultural experts provided detailed guidance to farmers on modern cotton production technologies, improved cultivation practices, disease management and strategies to achieve higher yields. Addressing the participants, Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that the Chief Minister Punjab is allocating substantial resources to promote innovation and development in the agriculture sector so that modern agricultural technologies can be widely adopted. He added that cotton and its allied products play a fundamental role in driving the national economy; therefore, all available resources are being utilised to address the challenges faced by the cotton sector. He emphasised that all stakeholders must play their due role to ensure the success of cotton cultivation in the province. The Secretary further stated that a target has been set to cultivate early cotton on 700,000 acres during the current season in Punjab, which will be achieved in the divisions of Multan, Sahiwal, Faisalabad and Dera Ghazi Khan. He also informed that a special programme worth approximately Rs 2 billion is being implemented to transform the Bahawalpur Division into a “Cotton Valley”. He said that sufficient stocks of DAP and urea fertilisers are available in markets for the Kharif crop season to ensure that farmers do not face shortages. He further shared that the government has already provided interest-free agricultural loans worth Rs 250 billion to 800,000 farmers through the Kissan Card. The Secretary Agriculture Punjab stated that under the Chief Minister Punjab’s “Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar” programme, the Agriculture Department is utilising its professional capabilities to improve farmers’ livelihoods and enhance agricultural productivity. The convention was also addressed by Commissioner Multan Division Aamir Kareem, Vice Chancellor Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, Dr Saeed Iqbal of Fatima Fertilizer and the Director Generals of Agriculture. Later, Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo formally inaugurated the early cotton cultivation campaign by driving a tractor. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026