Textile giant stresses revival of cotton output

Official suggests measures such as application of laser land levelling, promotion of seeds

BEIJING:

Recently, Pakistan’s cotton crop has seen a whopping reduction in its production. Cotton has continued to weaken in recent years due to pests, weed infestation, low yield seed, climate change, technological backwardness, improper IPR regime, less technology transfer and other reasons.

To resolve this problem in the long run, it is necessary to revive the viability of farmers to grow cotton by utilising every possible technology.

These views were expressed by Sapphire Fibres CEO Shahid Abdullah in an interview. The export share of the textile sectors is projected to increase to $20 billion in the ongoing fiscal year compared $15.5 billion in fiscal year 2020-21.

To achieve the anticipated export target, Pakistan has to revive its cotton production to higher levels. The per acre yield of cotton crop is shrinking due to low profitability of the produce compared to maize, paddy and sugarcane.

“To turn cotton crop more profitable and to enhance growers’ confidence, measures such as application of laser land levelling, promotion of cotton seeds, use of pesticides through drones and establishment of corresponding research centres need to be taken,” said Abdullah. “Pakistan has huge amount of uncultivated land which supports the growth of cotton, however, mechanised farming and capital investment are needed.”

Pakistan has not maintained seed development in line with international standards which is an important factor. “We have formed Sanifa Agri Services which is committed to uplift agriculture base of the country,” Abdullah explained.

THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE CHINA ECONOMIC NET

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2021.

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