Faisalabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – April 6, 2026) Agricultural experts have advised cotton farmers to adopt scientifically recommended agricultural practices to ensure timely planting and achieve higher productivity, especially by completing planting before April 30.
According to a Department of Agriculture (Extension) spokesperson, growers must maintain a 12-inch plant-to-plant distance and 2.5 feet between rows, ensuring a plant density of about 17,500 plants per acre.
He said farmers should use only cotton varieties approved and notified by the department to ensure better productivity and resistance to pests and diseases.
He advised that besides cotton varieties based on genetically modified plants, farmers should allocate at least 10 percent of their cultivated area to non-genetically modified varieties.
He added that this strategy would help prevent the development of resistance among harmful pests, especially bollworms, against BT cotton, thus ensuring the long-term sustainability of the crop.
He highlighted modern farming techniques and said that it is better for cotton to be grown on hills (beds) using mechanized methods.
Alternatively, farmers can prepare the hills manually and then plant seeds accordingly. He added that in the case of drilling sowing, the spacing between the rows should be maintained at 2.5 feet, while bumps can be formed later when the crop reaches a height of 1.5 to 2 feet by grounding the alternate rows.
He explained that hill farming offers multiple advantages including effective weed control, efficient use of fertilisers, water conservation and crop protection from potential damage caused by heavy rains.
He added that the Ministry of Agriculture is committed to guiding farmers through extension services and awareness campaigns to enable them to adopt modern agricultural practices and contribute to enhancing cotton production in the country and the general agricultural economy.