Around 400 cotton farmers and field workers in Punjab and Sindh region have received training on clean cotton picking techniques and sustenance of cotton fibre quality norms pursuant to the training workshops organized by the Ministry of Textile Industry.
Till date, the Ministry has organized seven workshops in Multan, Muzaffar Garh, Sama Satta, Kharipur, Lodhran, Sarkund and Veharri to impart training to farmers and field workers to reduce adulteration in cotton and to boost and improve the quality of the produce and reap maximum returns, Cotton Development Commissioner Dr. Khalid Abdullah told APP.
The workshops were organized in association with Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) and Pakistan Cotton Standards Institute (PCSI) to support the Ministry's activities aimed at enhancing the capacity of the ginning industry in sustaining the quality norms for cotton fibre, he said.
Dr. Abdullah said on an average 30-45 farmers received training at each workshop, which helped them gain familiarity regarding modern equipments and cotton picking techniques to retain the quality of the produce until the harvest reaches the market from the field.
In addition, around 50 women master trainers engaged in different non-governmental organizations in Sindh region for promoting agri-products, mainly cotton, were also imparted training, he said.
These trainers would, in turn, impart training to women workers engaged in the fields to help them boost production and maintain quality of the crops, he added.
Dr. Abdullah said Pakistan is the fourth biggest producer of cotton, globally. However, he also noted that the country ranks fifth in global cotton contamination.
Adulteration and contamination of crop at field level and storage caused the domestic producers to sell their produce at around 15-20 percent discount in world market. Hence, if the contamination problems are taken care of at field level itself, it would lead to improvement in the quality of final product and help farmers to reap higher returns, he said.
Source:
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=119833
