ISLAMABAD, (MILLAT ONLINE/APP): Cotton crop to be cultivated over
3.118 million hectares of land across the country during the current
sowing season (2017-18) in order to fulfill the domestic
requirements as well as to exports.
Cotton crop production targets during the season were fixed at
14.40 million bales as against the production targets of 14.1
million bales of last year, said Cotton Commissioner Dr Khalid
Abdullah.
Talking to APP on Monday, he said that cotton crop to be
cultivated over 2.429 million hectares of land in Punjab, where as
in Sindh it would be sown over 0.650 million hectares of land during
the current season.
Meanwhile, the cotton crop would be cultivated over 0.038
million hectares of land in Balochistan Province and about 0.001
million hectares in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province respectively, he
added.
The cotton production targets for Punjab Province was set at
10.00 million bales and 4 million bales in Sindh, he added.
Dr Abdullah said that about 0.038 million cotton bales
production were fixed for the Balochistan and 0.002 million bales in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the current crop sowing season.
The crop production targets were fixed at 14.1 million bales
during year 2016-17, however, cotton sowing reduced by 20.82 percent
in Punjab leading to overall 15.78 percent less sowing at national
level, he added.
He said that the main reason for less cotton sowing was
mainly attributed to low cotton prices during 2015-16.
In order to achieve maximum crop output about 38,000 metric
tons certified and approved seed of cotton will be available for
growers against the requirement of 40,000 metric tons during the
season 2017-18.
He informed that all the seed dealers had been directed to
market cotton seed as per standard germination of 75 percent and
there should be no comprise on standards.
Despite the 100 percent availability of certified seed, he
said a campaign would be launched for sowing of only certified seed
to enhance per acre crop output in the country, he added.
Meanwhile, cotton arrival in the local markets witnessed about
10.07 percent increase during last months as compared to the arrival
of same months of last year.
According the data of Pakistan Cotton Ginners’ Association
about 10.707 million cotton bales were arrived in the local market
by first week of March as compared the arrival of 9.727 million
bales of same month of last year.