The target for cotton sowing area for the current year has been set at 7.8 million acres (3.159 million hectares), which is 11 percent more than the harvest area for 2011-12 despite flood damage, Shahid Rashid Secretary Ministry of Textile Industry (Mintex) told the Federal Committee on Cotton on Friday.
Pakistan, it is believed, achieved 92.71 percent of its sowing area target. Production targets were set at 13.45 million bales against 13.595 million bales produced last year. The committee was constituted with the objective to set target area on which cotton was cultivated and produced, besides evaluating the availability of inputs, specifically, water, seed, fertiliser and pesticides. The meeting was attended by representatives of governments of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Meteorological Department, Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department, State Bank of Pakistan, Zarai Taraqiati Bank, Trading Corporation of Pakistan, Bureau of Statistics, Indus River System Authority (Irsa), Punjab Seed Corporation, Sindh Seed Corporation, Department of Plant Protection and Pakistan Central Cotton Committee. Although the Committee has representation of cotton growers from all the provinces, but the farmer members were unable to attend the meeting.
The Ministry said that the shortage of irrigation water was the main reason for the reduced cultivation target. It added that Irsa and the Met Department were not optimistic about improvement in water situation in the near future or during the crop season.
Other areas of concern identified during the meeting were: the availability of certified cotton seed, seed purity and poor germination, poor implementation of seed laws, lack of human resources in the regulatory departments. The Chair showed his determination to take up the issues with the relevant ministries and provinces.
Discussing media reports about flood forecast, Rashid said that the country had received less than normal rains during June and July and similar forecast had been made for August. However, he reminded, rainfall in September in Sindh was expected to remain above average. No prediction of floods like previous years had been made by the Met Department. However, cotton growers were advised not to delay picking and take advantage of every dry spell during September and October.