Islamabad, Pakistan
May 13, 2009
Source:
Pakistan Biotechnology
Information Center (PABIC)
A two Member Chinese follow up
mission headed by Qiquan Zhang, Director General, Agri.
Division, Xinjiang Production and Corporation, reached here
Islamabad and called on the Chairman,
Pakistan Agricultural Research
Council (PARC) Dr Zafar Altaf and discussed contents of the
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be implemented in Punjab
and Sindh for growing Bt Cotton.
According to agreement initially Bt cotton would be grown at 800
acre by Chinese at farmers field out of which 400 acre would be
used by applying drip irrigation method and 400 by applying
sprinkler irrigation method. The PARC would monitor all research
activities being carried out through joint venture for
production of colored and white cotton at large scale, he added.
Later, the delegation was taken to agricultural research
institutes and cotton growing areas of Sindh and Punjab where
the Chinese experts selected experimental sites and also had
meetings with the experts/scientists engaged in research and
development activities. The Chinese follow up mission also met
with Secretary, Agriculture, Managing Director, Seed
Corporation, Cotton Botanist where they gave detailed briefing
to the Chinese mission. The mission also visited Sakrand and
witnessed wheat seed processing plant but no delinting facility
for cotton was available.
The cotton processing plant was out of order for cotton ginning
facility. The scientists working at Central Cotton Research
Institute (CCRI) Multan apprized the mission that they started
work on color cotton in 1993 and developed color shades in
cotton gene pool. Dong Li Xia also gave presentation to
scientists at the CCRI and Ali Akbar Group about the status of
colored cotton in China. Dr Rukhsana, Director AZRI Bahawalpur
briefed the Chinese mission about research activities of the
institute particularly Biofuel plants development in Pakistan.
At Faisalabad the mission had a meeting with Additional
Secretary Agriculture, Natiq Hussain, Chief PND and Dr
Noor-ul-Islam, Director Cotton AARI, where, Dr. Zafar Altaf,
Chairman, PARC was also present.
They discussed MoU signed by Punjab Government with China on
Agriculture. Dong Li Xia, briefing gave detailed presentation at
this occasion and Salim Qureshi also gave presentation on Status
of Cotton in Pakistan.
During the meeting recommended that Germ Plasm of Hybrid BT
color cotton and inter specific hybrids need to be acquired from
China and production technology to be tested at five sites
selected by Chinese on colored and white cotton at large scale
at farmer’s field.
Source:
Pakissan.com |
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