Cotton output may exceed target by 9.4%

Saturday July 04, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Cotton production may exceed the target set for 2009-10 fiscal year (13.36 million bales) by about 9.4 percent to 14.6 million bales following 40 percent increased sowing in Sindh and usage of BT seed for the current financial year.

According to the well placed sources in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the production of cotton may increase by 1.24 million bales more than the target of 13.36 million bales set for 2009-10, although the usage of BT seed is not permitted in the country.

The sources revealed that as the government had banned the sowing of rice in the Sindh as area under cotton had been increased by 40 percent. Similarly, an increase of 20 percent had been recorded in cotton sowing area of Punjab Province, which would be 88 million acres, they said.

They revealed that in the absence of certified seed and government's failure to introduce BT cotton last year, Pakistan's cotton production for 2008- 09 had witnessed a shortfall of 2.8 million cotton bales. They said that lack of expertise in fighting cotton virus and heavy rainfall, around 20 percent crop in Punjab and interior Sindh had been affected.

The sources further said that against the set target of 11 million bales, Punjab had produced seven million bales, witnessing a decrease of four million bales, while Sindh fall short of its set target by 0.5 million bales. Due to failure in the achievement of target, cotton worth Rs 25 billion was imported last year to meet the above gap, spending a lot of foreign exchange. If this year the set target could be achieved, foreign exchange worth Rs 30 billion could be saved.

The sources said that cotton production remained 2.7 million bales below the government's target of 14.1 million bales during the outgoing fiscal on account of non-supply of better quality seed, short supply of quality inputs and insufficient water supply. They said that the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee, keeping in view the situation, had revised the target to the level of 12.5 million bales in 2008-09, but the production was less than the revised target.

Average production last fiscal year remained 21.20 maunds per acre, while 40 maunds per acre production is expected in Punjab and Sindh due to use of BT cotton seed. Pakistan is the only major cotton producing country where certified BT cotton seed had not been introduced, as its production was more than other seed varieties, the sources said, adding the country was importing over three million bales to meet the demand of the local textile industry.


(BRecorder)