KARACHI: At least 40 percent of cotton crop has been damaged in Sindh due to torrential rains, causing flood in lower parts of cotton belt, market sources said here Saturday.
Chairman Cotton Broker Forum Naseem Usman told APP that only about 500,000 bales have reached the market while rest of cotton was in the field when the floods hit Tharparkar, Hyderabad, Badin and Thatta districts.
He said that Sindh was expected to harvest 4.5 million cotton bales this year as cultivation area under cotton had increased by 30 to 40 percent this season in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Badin.
But after this damage, the crop would fall by 1 to 1.2 million bales this year in Sindh, he added.
Usman said that Federal Ministry for Food and Agricultural had set the target of 15 million bales for cotton this year, but this target will not be achieved after heavy rains.
"According to my estimates, we will get about 13.7 million bales this year as some parts of Punjab particularly cotton rich areas have also come under heavy rains", he noted.
Usman pointed out that rains also increased the chances of attack of white flies, the carriers of curl leaf cotton virus (CLCV).
He said that cotton price might increase for some times after Eid on short supply, but will fall in the long run as its quality is likely to be affected.
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