Doubts cast on Sindh cotton, paddy outlook

KARACHI: Sindh Abadgar Board on Monday hailed the formation of a cotton price review committee, but in the same breath warned the crop was still under threat mainly because of water shortage and possible pest attacks.

The growers body raised these alarms in a meeting, chaired by Dr Bashir Nizamani in Hyderabad. The session was attended by Syed Nadeem Shah, Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani, Aslam Mari, and other growers from the far and wide of the province.

The meeting noted the cotton crop was comparatively in a better condition than last year but it is still under threat because of the unavailability of pest-resistant seeds.

A substantial increase in cotton yields could be expected if pests were controlled, the meeting noted, adding that it would require prior threat assessment and effective preemptive measures.

According to the concluding minutes of the meeting, the growers demanded of both the federal and provincial governments to come up with a comprehensive plan in consultation with stakeholders to revive dwindling cotton production in the country.

Due to the late arrival of water and then reduced water supply by IRSA (Indus River System Authority) through their decision of August 20, 2021 was likely to impact the water-deficient areas the most, the meeting observed.

During the discussion, the growers of the northern Sindh complained about lack of water in tail-end areas of the system like that of Kirthar and Rice canal command areas. It was noted that paddy growing areas of Kotri barrage might also be impacted due to late sowing of the crop and it was therefore important that water was made available in these areas in the month of October also so that the late sown paddy could also reach its maturity.

Last week, the Cotton Crop Assessment Committee learnt Pakistan was expected to produce 8.46 million cotton bales this season, for the most part because of the comparatively better weather condition.

The province of Sindh that took the worst hit in terms of cotton crop losses last year was seen delivering 3.5 million bales this year. On the other hand cotton production in Punjab is likely to be around 4.5 million bales, about 8.5 percent higher than the previous year’s crop.