The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI) will make efforts to improve the productivity of cotton from 700,000 acres this year.
The ministry will provide seed, inputs and technical assistance to reach the whole 700,000 acres earlier designated for cotton cultivation and to achieve a value chain from farm to fabric cotton production.
A work coordination meeting to expand the cultivation of oil crops, sunflower and cotton and ramp up production was held at the ministry’s meeting hall in Nay Pyi Taw on 21 August 2024.
Union Minister U Min Naung for MoALI, deputy ministers, the permanent secretary, directors-general, directors from the Agriculture Department, officials concerned with oil crop special zone and cotton project managers attended the meeting.
The Union minister addressed reviewing arable areas, choosing crops depending on regions and states, and monitoring growers to conduct farm operations in all arable farmlands. He focused on attaining per-acre yield growth for ten main crops rather than expanding acres. He also mentioned the need to achieve growth in overall agricultural outputs year over year despite a drop in yield in disaster-stricken areas.
The ministry is aiming to meet the cotton demand of domestic garment factories and attempting to cultivate foreign cotton varieties to enhance cotton quality and productivity. A plan to develop hybrid long-staple cotton of good quality on 10 per cent of cotton acres is underway. The ministry aims to produce 20 per cent of hybrid long-staple cotton and 80 per cent of local origins in the long term. Getting the correct prices is crucial in pursuing high quality. The Union minister reiterated that all stakeholders concerned, including cotton traders, cotton ginning factories’ employers, and growers, should coordinate to create a quality-based market such as A Grade, B Grade, and C Grade.
Additionally, it plays a pivotal role in disseminating knowledge on nursing, irrigation and harvesting methods to meet cotton yield targets. He also encouraged cottonseed oil production and strictly monitored growers not to use genetically modified cotton seeds in line with Seed Law.
Growers and relevant departments need to make concerted efforts to remedy the loss triggered by climate change and natural disasters, he added. — NN/KK
