Punjab becomes 'Global hub' for cotton textiles

Bathinda, Apr 14: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today unveiled a blue print for making the state a ''Global hub'' for fashion technology, textile designing and cotton goods within a 'definite time frame'.

''We will turn Punjab not only into cotton capital of India but also the most significant landmark in the world of commercial designing, manufacturing and fashion technology, unleashing an unprecedented employment potential for the youth,'' said Mr Badal here while addressing CII Cotton Award Ceremony for excellence in cotton production in Punjab.

The Chief Minister disclosed that the State Government was already in touch with the major players in the corporate world for a state-of-the-art up-gradation and assured global market.

He said delegations of progressive cotton growers and prospective textile industrialists would be sent to China, Australia, Italy, Canada, France, Germany, UK and the US for the up-gradation of knowledge in the field of quality cotton production, fashion designing and garment industry.

Mr Badal called upon the key players in textile industry, farm scientists and researchers of the Punjab Agricultural University to play a pro-active role in developing modern farm practices to further increase the cotton yield in the Malwa belt for diversification of agriculture. This would motivat the farmers through persuasive and scientific approach to shift from the traditional wheat-paddy rotation to new cropping pattern.

He stressed on the need to chalk out a joint strategy to cover the entire cotton area under the BT technology to herald a white gold revolution in the state.

He asked the Director of PAU Regional station, Bathinda, to further intensify their efforts in imparting specialised training to agriculture development officers and scouts to educate the cotton growers so as to improve the crop on the modern lines both quantitatively and qualitatively .

Mr Badal said all out efforts should be made to increase the area under cotton as a strategy for diversification of agriculture.

He directed the Agriculture Department to adopt Abohar block and Markfed to Talwandi Sabo block in the cotton belt for training of farmers for the dissemination of latest cotton production technology so that the knowledge gap between the agriculture scientists, extension functionaries and the farmers can be minimised.

The Chief Minister appreciated the efforts of the consortium under the aegis of CII, Northern Region, and the public sector banks for doing a yeoman service for the revival of cotton crop in the state.

UNI