Cotton production has gone down by 11 percent this year, further threatening the already fragile textile industry that is unable to bear the burden of rapidly falling exports. Sources told Business Recorder that cotton production has reduced by 11 percent as compared to last year's output.

Moreover, it has been lowest when compared with last four years' data. "In 2004-05, we got a record 14.6 million bales, while in 2005-06 and 2006-07, the production was 13 million bales. But now, as our new crop has arrived in the market, it is apparent that we have achieved around 11.6 million bales, that is 1.2 million bales less than the revised target of 12.8 million bales and 1.4 million bales less than the crop obtained in 2006-07", sources said.

Less production in Punjab has been the main reason for not achieving the target, as its production is 13 percent less than last year's production in Punjab. The textile industry is suffering from high cost of production due to increase in import of cotton.

"Due to less production, the textile industrialists have already planned to import four million bales of long staple cotton from USA and Brazil while the orders to import four million bales of short and medium staple cotton from India have already been placed", sources said.

The factors contributing to the low yield of cotton were attacks of CLCV and mealy bug and shortage of the essential pesticides to save the crop from these attacks. When the government started importing pesticides, the prices in the domestic market cruised to double digits, which was not affordable for the small farmers of cotton. For example, they had to pay Rs 850-900 per 40 kg.

The government was aware of the fact before the sowing of the crop that CLCV, Burewala virus and mealy bug might attack the crop but no precautionary measures were taken to control these insects. The pesticides could be imported before the cultivation of the new crop but the government's negligence encouraged the hoarding mafia that resulted in poor crop production this year.

Secondly, the government had been claiming, for the last four years, that research was continuing in Nayab to bring forward a new variety of cotton that would be most resistant to attacks of mealy bug and CLCV but nothing has been obtained until now. The poor growers are being punished for nothing. If the situation remains the same, who will be there in 2008-09 to grow cotton--the farmers or the government?

Source: Business Recorder