Cotton harvest target set at 9.6m bales

The government has set cotton production target at 9.64 million bales from plantations over an area of 2.16 million hectares during the upcoming Kharif sowing season 2026-27.

Pakistan is currently facing a cotton crisis as the government is largely focusing on industries and has ignored farmers. The country produced only 5.607 million bales in 2025-26, which was significantly lower than 2014-15, when cotton output hit the highest at 15 million bales.

A meeting of the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA), mandated to oversee strategic measures to ensure food security, was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain.

The committee deliberated on production targets for essential Kharif crops and decided to fix the target at 9.17 million tons for rice over an area of 3.39 million hectares and 9.77 million tons for maize over 1.5 million hectares. It set the sugarcane harvest target at 80.3 million tons from an area of 1.14 million hectares while cotton output was fixed at 9.64 million bales over 2.16 million hectares. Targets for other crops such as moong, mash and chillies were also identified.

Reviewing the performance of Rabi season crops in 2025-26, the FCA was informed that wheat production was estimated at 29.31 million tonnes from cultivation over an area of 9.38 million hectares.

Onion production was estimated at 2.70 million tonnes from an area of 163,000 hectares, reflecting a slight decrease in production and area compared to the previous year. Tomato production was calculated at 555,000 tons from an area of 42,000 hectares, showing a drop of 11.9% due to a 12.1% decrease in plantation area over last year.

Potato harvest was estimated at 12.17 million tons from an area of 466,000 hectares, higher by 23.2% over last year. Gram output was assessed at 262,000 tons from an area of 782,000 hectares, up 52.4% compared to the previous year.

Discussing the availability of agricultural inputs for Kharif crops, the FCA was informed that water availability at canal heads would remain at 67.45 million acre feet (MAF) during the season.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department informed meeting participants that above-average precipitation during March till the first 10 days of April improved the situation to some extent in most parts of the country. It was noted that rains in April and May, along with rising temperatures in northern areas, may improve water availability in major reservoirs. The committee emphasised the need for judicious use of available water, especially in lower regions of the country.

Addressing the meeting, the federal minister stated that achieving food security requires a clear focus on improving agricultural productivity, particularly by increasing per-acre yields. While noting that food availability was generally adequate, he observed that affordability remained a key challenge, especially for low-income groups. He highlighted that the interim National Wheat Policy 2025-26, approved by the cabinet on November 19, 2025, was being implemented across the country to support farmers and encourage private-sector investment in the wheat value chain.

He added that the food ministry, in collaboration with provincial governments and the Green Pakistan Initiative, had developed an agricultural roadmap to focus on mechanisation, seed system reforms, cotton crop revival, value addition, greater access to finance and export growth. Also, the establishment of the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority will play a crucial role in harmonising food safety standards, improving quality assurance and enhancing the competitiveness of Pakistan's agricultural exports.

The committee was informed that rice and maize seeds would be sufficiently available as per the requirement. National Fertiliser Development Centre chief told the meeting that due to local production and available stocks, the urea supply would remain comfortable. A representative of the State Bank said the expected allocation of agricultural credit would be Rs3,062 billion in FY26, higher by 19% from last year's disbursement of Rs2,577 billion.