The country would miss its cotton production target for the year 2011-12 by about 2-2.5 million bales because of a massive damage to the crop during the on-going rains. The set target of 15 million bales for the current year, according to agricultural experts, is in doldrums because of heavy rains in Sindh and Punjab.
"The actual cotton production target for the current year will be missed as the major cotton cultivated areas has been directly hit by downpour and flood after the rains" said Ghulam Rabbani, Director, Karachi Cotton Association (KCA), who is on a tour of interior Sindh to estimate the losses to cotton crop from rains and flood.
Talking over phone from Kotri, he said that cotton crop in over 20 districts of Sindh has been badly damaged from rain and now it is difficult for Sindh to achieve the actual cotton production target for the current fiscal year. He said that rain has caused billions of rupees losses to the agricultural sector in Sindh.
Cotton crop cultivated in Tharparkar, Golarchi, Mityari, Tando Allah Yar, Hyderabad, Thatha, Badin, Sajawal, Matli, Talhar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Sanghar and Mirpur Khas had been badly affected with rains, he said. So far, 40 percent of cotton crop Sindh has been damaged and remaining crop is also on risk because of further expected rains.
He said that after damage to cotton crop it is estimated that Sindh will achieve only 50-60 percent of it target, and cotton production in the province would not be more than 3 million bales. Rabbani said that government is likely to revise its cotton production target in October after collecting details of cotton crop losses. The revised cotton production target is likely o be set at 12-13 million bales. During last two days cotton prices has registered increase of Rs 1,000 per maund and cotton price has surged to Rs 6,800 per maund in Sindh and Punjab.