According to a Business Recorder news report, cotton production in the country has witnessed an alarming decline of 2.8 million bales. A report released by Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association says that more than 5 million bales were produced in the country which is 35.67 percent less as compared to more than 7 million bales produced till December 15 last year.

It is, however, interesting to note, that the country’s textile group exports have registered an increase of 9.27 percent on year-on-year basis as it reached $1.286 billion in November 2020 compared to $1.176 billion in November 2019 as per the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The point that I’m going to make is that cotton cultivation needs urgent attention of authorities’ concerned. The situation shows that we have abandoned cotton for water-guzzling sugarcane. There are certain economic or business reasons behind that alarming shift. But we must not lose sight of the fact that the country is largely dependent on cotton and its related textile sector.

SANIA MIRZA (LAHORE)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020