The Cotton Crop Assessment Committee was briefed on Wednesday that Pakistan is anticipated to produce 8.46 million cotton bales this year, owing mostly to improved meteorological conditions over the previous year.
Sindh, which experienced a significant cotton crop loss last year, is anticipated to produce 3.5 million bales this year. Cotton output in Punjab is anticipated to reach 4.5 million bales this year, an increase of 8.5% above last year’s harvest.
The Minister of Food Security and National Research, Syed Fakhr Imam, chaired an evaluation committee meeting and attributed this year’s cotton production to the intervention price, which he said was announced after eight years, and encouraged farmers to invest in the crop management and reap high yields.
This year, the government has set an intervention price of Rs5,000 per 40kg of cotton. Growers from Sindh and Punjab, according to Mr. Imam, applauded the gesture and asked the government to repeat the intervention price for sugarcane and wheat.
The minister informed the gathering that the year 2020 saw 398.6mm of rainfall, which had a catastrophic influence on cotton output, but this year’s rainfall was 78.6mm, which boosted the prospects of total production.
He stressed the need of raising farmer knowledge on contamination control. He claimed that by using appropriate chemical sprays, the quality and quantity of cotton output could be improved. “The government would be proactive in providing excellent seed to farmers,” he added.
Mr. Imam stated that the government did very well in the previous season, with Pakistan having the greatest output in the top five crops, including wheat, with a record production of 27.5 million tonnes. “The administration intends to change cotton production as well, as the PTI government-supported cotton growers in every way,” he added.
He stated that there was a need for a paradigm change in cotton crop output because it was one of the key elements of production in the domestic sector. “Smallholders will only be able to cultivate wheat if quality inputs are available on time and within farmers’ reach,” he added.