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Cotton production is estimated to be of 0.124 million bales during the current season, which constitutes only a negligible quantity as compared to the country's huge demand of 1.5 million bales, reports UNB.
Some 50,000 hectares of land has been brought under cultivation in the current season, according to a review meeting on cotton farming at the Ministry of Agriculture Monday.
Of the cultivated area, some 35,000 hectares of land will produce 0.115 million bales of American variety while 15,000 hectares to produce 9,000 bales of local variety of cotton.
Cotton Development Board Executive Director Abdul Baten projected the production situation with Agriculture Minister MK Anwar in the chair.
Senior officials of the ministry, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC), Bangladesh Cotton Association (BCA) representatives and cotton growers were present at the meeting.
The minister asked BARC executive chairman to review the feasibility of cotton farming in the present day situation and said the farmers would continue cotton farming only when they would find it profitable.
Cotton grower AZ Obaidullah urged the government to develop such cotton seeds that offer cotton harvest in a short duration from the present harvest duration of six months.
The meeting was told that the cotton farmers were provided with loans of Tk 7.0 million in the current season both from banks and Cotton Development Board as well as seeds at a reduced rate to encourage them in cotton farming.
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