The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) released consolidated statement of cotton arrivals in factories, as on 15th March that showed arrival of 12.683 million cotton bales, an increase of 12.20 percent over the same period last year.
The significant feature of 2009-2010 cotton season has been an exceptional increase of 41.4 percent in cotton production of Sindh province as against last year from 2.990829 million bales to 4.228981 million bales, which has strengthened the agriculture economy of the province.
According to PCGA report, Hyderabad produced 0.447688 million bales (34 percent increase), Mirpur Khas 0.385,449 bales (27.37 percent increase), Sanghar 1.874175 million bales(42.15 percent increase), Nawabshah 0.371156 million bales (72 percent increase), Naushero Feroze 0.226965 million bales (52.25 percent increase), Khairpur 0.215294 million bales (27 percent increase), Ghotki 0.287021 million bales (36.39 percent increase), Sukkur 0.279990 million bales (41.64 percent increase), Dadu 0.119210 million bales 38.97 percent increase).
As against 41.40 percent increase in cotton production of Sindh province, Punjab's performance was dismal, as it could gain only 1.7 percent increase in cotton production during 2009-2010.
The report indicated that the ginning factories had pressed 12.678171 million bales till 15th March 2010, out of which textile mills had purchased 11.565149 million bales and the exporters had picked up 0.795648 million bales The Trading Corporation of Pakistan that had purchased 0.180333 million bales during 2008-2009 season remained a spectator and did not enter the cotton market this year.
The report pointed out short fall in the cotton production of district Multan from 0.441765 million bales to 0.399246 million bales (9.62 percent), Lodhran from 0.268118 million bales to 0.200509 million bales (25 percent decrease) Muzaffargarh from 0.470511 million to 0.385673 (18.03 percent shortfall), Dera Ghazi Khan from 0.353189 to 0.328361 million bales (7.03 percent decrease), Bahawalpur from 1.071902 million bales to 898,382 million bales (16.14 percent decrease).
Commenting on the low cotton production in Punjab, various associations of farmers accused the Punjab government for not providing certified cotton seed to the growers, mismanagement of irrigation water, non-functioning of agriculture tubewells due to load shedding and high cost of diesel. They said that irrigation water was not provided at the critical growth and flowering of the cotton crop in south Punjab specially in Bahawalpur division, the main cotton growing area of the country.
They said that Punjab has already suffered huge economic losses due to low cotton production, as compared to Sindh province, therefore, it is high time that the Punjab government and its departments like seed corporation, extension services and irrigation department take timely action to provide agriculture inputs to the farmer for better yield of the Kharif crops.
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