Cotton cultivation in the district has been completed, covering an area of 750,000 acres of land against the target of 792,000, a first-ever decrease.
According to Agriculture Department sources, the decrease has been caused by the recent increase in the area under the sugarcane crop during the Kharif season, which was cultivated over 195,250 acres against a target of 149,000 acres.
A higher price for the sugarcane crop at the end of 2005, and the increase in sugar prices prompted growers to sow more, with the hope of greater gains this year, said sources. There are already three sugar mills functioning in the district, with a fourth likely to start operation by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, agri sources claimed that the Rahimyar Khan region was known for its quality cotton and had been declared "the cotton zone" by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.