Cotton crop condition termed satisfactory

The Agriculture Department of Punjab has said that barring slight to moderate impacts from heat waves, rainfall and pest attacks at certain sites, the overall condition of cotton crop is satisfactory and all-out efforts are being made to ensure the health of the crop and secure better prices for farmers.

To avoid any confusion, it said in a statement, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had been requested to implement a foolproof mechanism at all operational cotton ginning factories to ensure accurate and real-time reporting of the crop received and processed.

"This step is essential for enhancing transparency, strengthening data integrity and supporting coordinated efforts across institutions involved in cotton monitoring and policy formulation," it stressed.

The Agriculture Department released its cotton production estimates as of July 31, 2025, highlighting that figures had been derived using internationally recognised and scientifically proven methods.

According to the Crop Reporting Service, seed cotton in Punjab is projected to reach 609,000 bales based on harvesting data recorded up to July 31, 2025. In contrast, the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) reports just 301,000 bales, which reflect only cotton arriving at operating ginning factories in Punjab, regardless of its origin. These figures do not account for cotton still held at farms, transferred to other provinces or stored by stockists.