Sindh cotton crop continues to remain under pest pressure as its 18 cotton growing districts are under sucking pest attacks of which 11 are also infested by pink and spotted bollworm.
According to cotton crop situation report released by director crops of Sindh Agriculture Extension, third pesticide spray is in progress, yet at most of the district the infestation is at economic threshold level. The report, it seems, is incomplete, as it makes no mention of stunting, reddening and wilting of crops.
Progressive cotton growers invited this scribe at Deh Magrio Tanda Allahyar at the time of first picking. After picking around 10-kg of seed cotton he counted 150 bollworms. According to confirmed field reports, the cotton crop has been washed away in three districts of upper Sindh, Airport area of Ghotki.
Damage to about 30 to 35 percent cotton crop has also occurred in Qamber and Larkana district, while late monsoon might further hurt the cotton production not only in Sindh but also in Punjab.
The sub-standard cotton seeds supplied by the seeds companies had also adversely affected the per acre yield, which at places during the first picking, was around 80 kg up to 300 kg.
The cotton growers rejecting the extension report termed it misleading and said the production losses in Sindh would be around 20 percent plus as compared to last year.
The seed cotton prices in Sindh remain subdued. According to cotton growers, it was due to ill-conceived policy of Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) - which floated its tender at a time when the picking of cotton crop was around the corner - and demanded that the TCP should enter the market (only) to stabilise the price structure.
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