Cotton crop size estimated at 12.7 million bales

Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan has said that the cotton crop in 2005-06 is the second largest crop in the history with estimated production of 12.7 million bales.
He was talking to newsmen after the meeting of the Cotton Crop Assessment Committee constituted by MINFAL to estimate the current cotton crop size here on Monday. The meeting was attended by the ADC, MINFAL, DG, FDPP, vice-president PCCC, secretary Agriculture Sindh and the senior officers of the Provincial Agriculture Department, TCP and the representatives of PCGA, KCA and the growers.
The minister said that due to the flood in July 2005, around 300,000 acre land could not be utilised for cotton growing, which resulted in low production of cotton. He said: "All the stakeholders have agreed that the cotton crop this year is the second largest crop with total production of 12.7 million bales as compared to 14.6 million bales last year.
Replying a question the minister said that the matter for providing loans for livestock sector has been taken up with the State Bank of Pakistan and hopefully sufficient amount will be provided by the banks for this sector.
Earlier, the committee reviewed the current cotton scenario and was informed that 10.219 million bales equivalent seed cotton reached the ginning factories by December 15, 2005, which was 12.9 percent short as compared with the arrivals on the same date last year.
It was reported that the wide gap in arrivals noticed at the early season has declined from 46 percent to 13 percent. Besides, the ginning outturn this season was also reportedly better than last year.
Taking stock of the situation and the possible arrivals after in the rest of the season the committee unanimously agreed to place the current cotton crop size at 12.7 million bales ex-farm, including 9.7 million bales for the Punjab, 2.9 million bales for Sindh and 0.1 million bales for Balochistan and NWFP.
The minister informed that the final assessment of the cotton crop size would be made in the first week of January 2006 when the PCGA's next cotton arrival reports, due on January 01, 2006, would also be available.