Cotton growth

The Cotton Crop Assesment Committee (CCAC) has assessed the area and volume of current cotton crop in the country. Unfortunately, the prospects for the current season are not so bright and the country may face significant shortfall in the crop production as well.

Cotton and textile industries play a dominant role in exports, cotton accounts for 55 percent of the country’s export earnings, and Pakistan has a 14 percent share of the world’s cloth exports. Record production of cotton was reported at 15 million bales during 2015-15. The country missed the crop production target by around 30 percent in 2015-16 and it remained around 10 million bales, which according to the finance minister led to 0.5 percent into GDP growth. The root causes of decline in cotton sowing are uncertainty regarding cotton prices, increased sugarcane cultivation in the cotton areas and shortage of certified seeds. There is a need of extensive awareness campaign among the farmers for pest management and to prevent rain damage.

Engr Mansoor Ahmed

Faisalabad