'Early monsoon may adversely affect cotton production target'

The early advent of monsoon may hamper the country's cotton production target in the upcoming season, textile division officials told Business Recorder. Cotton production for the upcoming season is estimated at 14.1 million bales from eight million acres of cultivated area which is 5.7 percent higher than the last year. The country estimated revised cotton production targets at 13.3 million bales from seven million acres of land for the last season.
The Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) had set the cotton production target at 14.6 million bales for the last season, but later revised it downward to 13.3 million bales following water shortage during sowing coupled with floods and rain. About one million cotton bales were destroyed during last season, officials maintained.
Due to low prices of cotton, increased wheat support price and non-availability of certified seed early cotton sowing remained below the target during the current season. However, later the sowing rate increased and till-date 96 percent has been sown in Punjab and 97 percent in Sindh and the target will be achieved next week with an end to the ongoing rain spell.
According to officials, cotton was estimated to be cultivated on six million acres in Punjab with an expected production of 10 million bales. Further cotton sowing in Sindh is expected at a 1.6 million acres with estimated production target of four million bales while from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the estimated cotton production is 0.1 million bales.
Officials maintained that if rainfall continued with interval, it would benefit cotton production, but continuous rainy spell would negatively impact cotton production in the country. Cotton Commissioner Dr Khalid Abdullah told Business Recorder that first CCAC meeting would be held on July 5 to review cotton sowing target and production estimates for the next season.
He expressed satisfaction over cotton sowing, saying almost the estimated target had been achieved and it was expected that commodity's production would also be achieved. Met Office spokesperson told Business Recorder that rainfall during July would be below normal and would increase gradually during August over central parts of the country. However during last phase of the monsoon rainfall (September), more than normal rainfall was expected over Punjab and Sindh, he added.