LAHORE: Cotton production will remain at 6.9 million bales in Punjab during the season 2023-24 against the target of 8.2 million bales set at the start of the season.
The reason for the shortfall in production is cited as a shortfall in achieving the sowing target, which was set at 5 million acres. Still, only 4.12 million acres were brought under the cultivation of this vital crop, official sources told the Business Recorder.
They said the production target of 8.2 million acre was anticipated with achieving the per acre yield of 19.67 maunds. However, they said the production achieved was 20 maunds per acre thus achieving the 6.9 million bales.
They attributed the healthy per acre yield to the steps taken by the provincial government and the agriculture department which include proper technical guidance and ensuring quality inputs. Last year, the production was only 3.2 million bales in the province and area under cotton cultivation was 3.6 million acres, the sources added.
Meanwhile, Farooq Ahmad Bajwa, a progressive grower from Bahawalpur and convener of the Punjab Water Council (PWC), contested the figures claimed by the official sources and alleged that it would remain around 5.5 million acres to the maximum.
Talking to this scribe, he said the shortfall in the sowing and production target was a result of untimely rains.
He said there was scarcity of water when it was needed while there were excessive rains when the water was not needed.
He also alleged that the growers could not get hold of quality approved seeds while adulterated fertilizers and pesticides were other reasons behind shortfall in production. He said diseases faced by the cotton crop could
not be controlled timely due to these adulterated inputs.
He said seed available to the growers was of low quality with lower germination rates. He said these reasons not only led to fall in production but quality of the crop was also not up to the mark.
Bajwa was also upset to note ups and downs in the price of cotton during the month of October.
He claimed this month was considered as the prime month for the cotton crop. He said he sold his crop (first picking) at Rs 8500 per maund but in the same month second picking was sold at Rs 6500 per maund.
He said he had never witnessed such a volatile fluctuation of prices in a month. In his opinion, high interest rates rendered ginners unable to obtain loan and buy the cotton which led to reduction in the prices. The Punjab Water Council (PWC) convener said due to lower prices, growers who wanted to go for wheat sowing had not sufficient money to purchase the quality seed and inputs.
He feared that it might lead in to delay in sowing and ultimately lower the production of wheat too.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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