Triple threat imperils Pakistan’s cotton sector

Pest attack, climate change, low quality seeds put harvest growth at risk

Cotton growers are deeply concerned about the declining harvest, from 14.8 million bales to 9.8 million bales, and production is expected to go down further this year, according to the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB).

Cotton growers are suffering losses worth billions of rupees due to lack of quality seeds, pest attack and susceptibility of cotton to climate change, said the association of farmers in a statement issued after a meeting.

“This year has only added to the misery of cotton growers,” remarked Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) member board of directors Mahmood Nawaz Shah.

Growers initially suffered due to poor quality seeds as the government allowed sale of seeds with 50% germination and that too at a higher price than last year, he said and highlighted that the international standard for germination was more than 90%. “Poor regulation has led to the doubling of seed quantity in crops as many growers have to plant seeds twice in the field,” said SAB member Dr Zulfiqar Yousafani.

“With all the added expenditure and complications, cotton was cultivated over more than 1.5 million acres in Sindh, which was affected by record-breaking rains followed by flooding in August that hit fields in the peak harvesting season,” he added.

Cotton crop, which was saved from rains or left behind, has been attacked by pests as the seed has lost vigour and is being infested by pink bollworm, whitefly, etc, pointed out another SAB member Dr Bashir Nizamani.

Cotton prices remained the same in the past three years, at around Rs3,500 on average, while expenditure increased and yield fell, said Shah. “With poor yield, rains and outdated seed cotton, cultivation will likely shrink further in the coming years,” he predicted.

Cotton growers are slowly and gradually shifting to other crops. On the other hand, cotton production in India remained the same. Pakistan will import more than four million bales of duty-free cotton this year, spending millions in foreign exchange. SAB, therefore, recommended measures to arrest the fall in cotton production and make it a viable proposition for growers, said Yousafani.

“New cottonseed needs to be imported or should be brought through research and development work,” he said, adding, “GM cottonseed should be considered for cultivation in Pakistan, as allowed in India, after assessing the pros and cons and proper research.” The regulatory regime for providing quality seeds to growers needed to be strengthened, added Nizamani. “A weak regulatory mechanism leads to the sale of adulterated pesticides and fertilisers to the growers,” he said.

Prices should be viable to encourage domestic production, said Shah. “Currently, cotton import is being encouraged from countries where farmers are already benefiting from huge subsidies.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2020.

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