Agriculture experts in Pakistan advised growers to plant Bt cotton varieties along with a 10 per cent area of non-Bt cotton crops to save them from pest attacks.
Agriculture extension department spokesperson said that the government had set a target of cultivating 200,000 acres with cotton this year and for this purpose, the agriculture department was also providing a subsidy of Rs.1000/- per bag of approved and certified cottonseed and the farmers can purchase cotton seed of approved Bt cotton varieties including IUB-13, MNH-886, BS-15, NIAB-878, and FH-142 along with non-BT varieties for Punjab seed corporation. The farmers must ensure a number of plants range from 15,000 to 17,500 on one acre if the cotton was cultivated from April 1-20, and plant number should be 17,500 to 20,000 if the crop was cultivated from April 21 to May 10.
