ISLAMABAD (June 25 2009): The Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet is likely to approve Rs 1500 per 40-kg intervention price of cottonseed aimed at stabilising price, in its meeting scheduled on June 30. Sources told Business Recorder that the Food and Agriculture Ministry would move a summary to the ECC recommending Rs 1500 per 40-kg intervention price of cottonseed. During 2008-09, the government had approved intervention price of Rs 1550 per 40-kg in Punjab and Rs 1465 per 40-kg in Sindh to stabilise the price of cottonseed so that growers could get it at reasonable rates. Sources said the country would be able to achieve the cotton target as the weather was not so hot that may damage the cotton crop that was at early stages. They said at present, the weather situation in cotton sowing area was good for the crop. The Federal Committee on Agriculture fixed the cotton production target for the crop season 2009-10 at 13.36 million bales to be sown over an area of 3.20 million hectares (7.907 million acres). Punjab has been given the target of 10 million bales covering the area of 2.50 million hectares, Sindh, 3.25 million bales with the sowing area of 0.65 million hectares. North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has been given the production target of 0.01 million bales from 0.01 million hectares, whereas Balochistan has been assigned the target of 0.10 million bales sowing cotton over an area of 0.04 million hectares. According to sources, In Sindh, the Provincial Agriculture Department has reported that cotton crop has been sown on an area of 1,400,405 acres (566,736 hectares) till June 15, 2009 against the target of 1,606,150 (650,000 hectares). It has been reported that the crop sown earlier (unapproved/ Bt cotton) is affected due to water stress in lower Sindh at Jhudo, Tando Jan Muhammad and ed area of Mirpurkhas district. The crop is doing well and is at the flowering and boll formation stage. At certain places growers have started picking the crop and obtained 1 to 2 maunds per acre. The seed cotton is being sold and purchased at Rs 1600 to 1700 per maund. The infestation of whitefly, jassid and thrips has been recorded below economic threshold level in all the cotton growing areas. In Punjab, according to the Provincial Agriculture Department, cotton crop has been sown on 6,199,003 acres (2,508,700 hectares) till June 4, 2009 ie 0.34 percent more than the target of 6,177,251 acres (2,500,000 hectares) and 48.73 percent higher as compared to the last season. During the first week of June the sucking pests, mealy bug, bollworm and CLCV incidence was recorded below economic threshold level.