The meeting of Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) was informed on Monday that during this season it is expected that as many as 12.66 million cotton bales would be produced across the country against the initial estimates of 14.6 million bales for the current season 2012-13, sources revealed to Business Recorder. The decision was taken in the CCAC meeting held with Shahid Rashid, Secretary Ministry of Textile Industry in the chair.
The projected estimate for the current year is less than even the preceding year output (13.59 million bales). The next meeting of the committee will be held on December 5, 2012 to review the projected cotton production. MinTex officials, representatives of Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), Provincial Governments, Federal Plant Protection Department, Trading Co-operation of Pakistan (TCP), Cotton Growers, and Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) attended the meeting.
Dr Khalid Abdullah, Cotton Commissioner Ministry of Textile Industry informed the committee about the facts and figures of cotton production during current crop season as compared to last year along with market situation to have an objective assessment of the likely crop size this season.
According to the projection, Punjab will produce 9 million bales cotton, Sindh 3.56 million bales while Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will produce 0.1 million bales during the current season. The Committee was informed that cotton crop was sown on 0.58 million hectares in Sindh and 2.356 million hectares in Punjab. Moreover, this year cotton crop was planted on 7 percent and 12 percent less area than that of last year in Punjab and Sindh provinces, respectively.
The main reasons for less sowing during 2012-13 were low prices last year, shortage of irrigation water at the time of sowing, and comparatively higher incidence of Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV) disease this year. Moreover, the country also witnessed heavy rains during September which damaged an area of 234,982 acres in Punjab and Sindh provinces.
The Committee, after taking into the consideration the data provided by the provincial governments, the latest cotton arrival position and other factors such as plant population, bolls per plant, boll weight, CLCV incidence, rains and flood damages etc estimated the crop size at 12.66 million bales. Secretary Mintex, Shahid Rashid also asked the PCGA to standardise the weight of bales to 170kg. The committee also decided to review the projected production estimates in its next meeting on December 5, 2012.
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