3 Punjab districts fail to produce cotton seed

MULTAN: Three districts have completely failed to produce a single bale of Phuthi (cotton seed), official statistics said.

Growers said cotton varieties could survive in hard weather and failed to fruit aimed high temperatures. They said lack of effective seed varieties? low germination rate, high costs of inputs, improper management practices, uncontrollable disease and pest attacks, changing environmental conditions and natural diseases and lack of effective research infrastructure are key reasons behind cotton shortfall.

All twenty-one districts show massive decline in production compared to the same corresponding period of last year, the report said. Pakpattan, Okara and Kasur districts failed to produce a single bale of Phutti.

The decline in production badly affected business in Sarafa bazaars, clothes markets, crockery markets, real estate and other trades linked with cotton progress.