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       ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research has sought a detailed briefing on establishing a research centre for dates in Khairpur.

       Chairing a meeting of the Standing Committee on Tuesday, committee Chairman Syed Hussain Tariq emphasised the need for a research centre in Khairpur to enhance the production and quality of dates.

       The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) plans to establish a post-harvest research institute in Khairpur, given the potential for research on horticultural crops. Khairpur has great potential for important crops like bananas, mango, strawberries, tomatoes and potatoes.

       The only institute in Khairpur is the Date Palm Rese-arch Institute at the Shah Abdul Latif University, where research is carried out to produce date palm plantlets free of disease through a tissue culture process.

       The committee discussed the ongoing national cotton crisis in detail and heard the secretary of national food security and research on the situation. He informed the committee that the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) had convened a meeting to address this issue.

       The committee invited the heads of the ministry’s research and development (R&D) departments to discuss and propose practical solutions to address the declining cotton production in the country.

       The committee directed the ministry to share the finalised findings from the PCCC’s meeting for review. The secretary further apprised that a national conference on the revival of cotton will be held in January, and all the stakeholders will be invited to provide their valuable input.

       The PCCC vice-president briefed the committee on the notices served to eight companies for non-payment of cess. He highlighted an encouraging improvement in cess collection during the first quarter of 2024-25.

       While deliberating on seed varieties, the committee emphasised the need to focus on enhancing seed quality in the ministry, as this would significantly impact cotton production.

       The committee appreciated the Punjab government’s efforts in utilising 100 acres for shrimp farming, achieving notable success in this initiative.

       Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2024