Among Pakistan, China, Mexico (America), Peru and Egypt countries which have been reported as the ancient homes of domesticated cotton, Pakistan is now considered perhaps the oldest home of cotton and textile. In early 1960s, some French Archeologist excavated the areas in Pakistan's province of Baluchistan and found a city in Kuchhi district near district city Dhadher which was named as Mehergarh.
There, they found traces of cotton and pieces of cotton cloth. Cotton growing and cloth making in this areas of Bolan valley are considered as old as some 5,000 B.C (7,000 years from 2000 A.D) It is believed that knowledge of cloth making was spread from Bolan / Indus valley first to Arab and then to Europe. After some early resistance, the Arabs finally learnt the art of cotton growing and gave the substance the modern name of Al-qutun which is generally known as cotton.
However, Indian sub-continent enjoyed the reputation of being the oldest home for cotton growing and cloth making. India was very rich in agriculture and hand-made textiles productions and was very prominent in exports of cotton fabric and textile goods to Roman Empire, other European countries, China and Arab countries.
Finding much charm and attraction, many European countries established their settlements in Bengal (India); the Portuguese in early 1600s, the Dutch in 1663, the British in 1669 and the French in 1682, apparently for trading purpose but the British entered in to Indian administration and politics which later lured them to rule over India.
India had developed cloth making technology and had became the centre of cloth / fabric making and these were exported to the world at large in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The companies and traders of North-western Europe sold Indian cloth and textiles in the markets of south-east and west Asia, north and west Africa and Europe itself.
Other traders carried Indian fabric and textiles to other markets in East, and north Africa, southeast, west and central Asia, America and far-east. Indian cloth and fabrics were considered to be low-priced cheap, beautiful colours, and designs and high quality which attracted consumers of different areas, races and categories.
Later, in nineteenth and twentieth centuries when the British strengthened their establishments and to some extent took over the control of the Indian Government administration, Indian exports of cotton fabrics and textiles was reduced as the British themselves started manufacturing of cotton cloth and textiles from Indian cotton in their home country UK on latest machines.
Thus, the British made India work as the producer and supplier of raw material for the British cotton cloth and textile manufacturing industry for more than one century. Now, after about two hundred years, the supremacy of the west (Europe and America) in cotton fabric and textiles has again shifted to the east (China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh).
In 1947, the British rulers were obliged to quit sub-continent India and its division emerged in the shape of two independent countries namely India and Pakistan. Pakistan started its cotton production from 1.16 million 170-Kg bales (lint cotton yield of Kgs 288 per hectare) but had a very limited spinning capacity of only 78 thousand spindles consuming only 75 thousand 170-Kg bales.
Against these, India took start from the production of 2.5 million 170-Kg bales (Lint cotton yield of Kgs 96 per hectare) from 4.424 million hectares and inherited a large spinning capacity consuming 4.4 million 170-Kg bales in 1947-48. In other words, Pakistan was born as a cotton exporting country (surplus cotton country) and India was born as cotton importing country (cotton deficient country).
Initially, Pakistan started working on the goal of increasing its spinning capacity and then on increasing its cotton production and consumption simultaneously while India's initial goal was to increase its cotton production to attain self-sufficiency in cotton consumption and later increase cotton production and consumption simultaneously.
After working hard for 25 years from independence, India achieved success in 1971-72 when it attained self-sufficiency in cotton consumption by producing 7.41 million 170-Kg bales against its domestic cotton consumption of 6.851 million bales; surpassing cotton consumption by more than half a million bales with lint yield at Kgs 162 per hectare and harvested area at 7.8 million hectares.
In 1971-72 season, Pakistan's production stood at 4.159 million 170-Kg bales against domestic consumption of 2.542 million 170-Kg bales with lint yield at Kgs 360 per hectare. India enjoyed the state of self-sufficiency for 32 years from 1971-72 to 2002-03 when it maintained its production level a trifle over consumption level but from 2003-04 season, India increased its cotton production by adopting new seed technology of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) and got very encouraging results.
As such, India increased its production from 14.0 million 170-Kg bales in 2003-2004 to 33.28 million 170-Kg bales in 2010-11 season - an increase of 136.0 % in 8 years period by increasing lint yield from 399 in 2003-04 to Kgs 514 per hectare in 2010-11 and increasing cotton area by only about 44%. After maintaining its self-sufficiency after, 1971-72, India tried hard to become a real cotton exporting country but it coulf not be possible before 2002-03 when it used GMO technology for boosting its cotton production.
Thus from 2003-04 season it changed its status from being a long time cotton importing country to a prominent cotton exporting country securing second largest position in the world after US. In 2007-08, India exported ever highest 9.6 million 170-Kg bales and its average cotton exports of last 8 years is 3.89 million 170-Kg bales which is very impressive.
Pakistan has enjoyed its status as a prominent cotton exporting country for about 45 years from 1947-48 to 1992-93 achieving the highest export performance of 4.838 million 170-Kg bales (=3.780 million 480-lb bales) in 1988-89. From 1993-94 and onward our annual domestic cotton consumption surpassed our annual cotton production and Pakistan's status of being long time exporting country was converted into a cotton second / third largest importing country.
In 1991-92, Pakistan produced then a record bumper crop of 12.8 million 170-Kg bales (= 10.000 million 480-lb bales)) from 2.83 million hectares obtaining a robust lint yield of Kgs767 per hectare (= Lbs 685 per Acre) which is the highest record till 2010-11, whereas this in 1991-92, India produced a cotton crop of 11.89 million 170-Kg bales ( = 9.291 million 480-lb bales) achieving lint yield of Kgs 265 per hectare.
This season, Pakistan beat India in cotton production by a large margin of about one million 170-Kg bales but unfortunately next year in 1992-93, Pakistan's production drastically decreased to 9.0 million 170-Kg bales ( decrease of about 30 %) whereas Indian production increased to 13.8 million 170-Kg bales (increase of over 16.0 %).
India tried Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seed technology in cotton growing almost from start of 2000 and got tremendous success. As such, India very successfully increased its cotton production from about 18.0 million 170-Kg bales in 2003-04 to 33.23 million 170-Kg bales in 2010-11, increasing its cotton production by 85 % in 8 year's period whereas Pakistan could not making any progress in this eight year's period except that Pakistan produced a record ever high crop of 14.26 million bales in 2004-05 but in next 6 year's period (2005-06 to 2010-11) it averagely produced 11.60 million bales - decrease of 18.65 %.
Similarly, in 2004-05, India produced a record crop of 24.32 million bales and in next six years up to 2010-11, India averagely produced 29.15 million bales - an increase of 19.86 %. Just see the difference. In last six years, Pakistan's production has decreased by 18.65 % while in the same period Indian has increased its cotton production by 19.86 %. It means that in the last six years, Indian performance in cotton production was better than Pakistan's performance by 38.51 %.
Table No1. gives year-wise harvested area, lint yield and cotton production of 41 cotton seasons (1970-71 to 2010-11) of Pakistan. Its steady would give very interesting details. In Table No 2, performances of India and Pakistan have been summarised which also give interesting results. While comparing the performances of two neighbour countries viz: Pakistan and India, one finds that India performed better than Pakistan when its cotton increased by 488 % in 41 years and 1,231 % in 64 cotton seasons whereas Pakistan improved its cotton production by 252 % in 41 years and by 870 % in 64 years.
Detail of above tables reveal that Indian cotton production geared up remarkably after 2003 when India adopted GMO technology , it has increased its yield more than 70 % and production by 100 % in 8 years up to 2010-11. During this period, Pakistan has increased its cotton production by 12% and lint yield by 16 % averagely.
For increasing Pakistan's cotton productivity (lint yield) and production, it has to take necessary measures which may include: 1) To switch over to GMO technology by evolving promising Bt cottonseed suitable to each cotton area on war footings. 2) To control and monitor mushroom growth of private seed-developing company which lack in technology and its correct application.
3) Initially, co-operation and joint-venture of prominent and competent foreign seed-developing countries should be sought to develop indigenous seed. 4) Latest technologies in irrigation application specially for minimising volume of water per hectare. 5) Control and monitor production and its marketing to discord counterfeit pesticide. 6) Cottonseed varieties giving higher ginning out-turn ( Higher lint ratio) should be evolved and introduced to get better lint percentage.
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Cotton Production Performance of Pakistan and India
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Pakistan India
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1947 1970 2010 1970-2010 1947-2010 1947 1970 2010 1970-2010 1947-2010
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Harvested area 1.03 1.75 2.90 + 66 % +181 % 4.43 7.61 11.00 +45 % +148 %
(Million Hectares)
Lint Yield 163 312 660 +112 % +305 % 96 127 514 +305 % +435 %
(Kgs/Hectare)
Production 1.16 3.20 11.26 +252 % +870 % 2.5 5.66 33.28 + 488 % +1,231 %
(Mln. 170-Kg bales)
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INDIA-PAKISTAN COTTON PRODUCTION DATA
1970-11 TO 2010-11
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Year(August 1- Harvested Area Lint Yield Production Million
- July 31 (Million Hectares) (Kg/Hectares) Bales (170Kg Each)
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INDIA PAKISTAN INDIA PAKISTAN INDIA PAKISTAN
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2010 11.00 2.90 514 660 33.28 11.26
2009 10.26 3.00 492 697 29.70 11.29
2008 9.41 2.90 523 653 28.93 11.14
2007 9.44 3.00 554 624 30.77 11.01
2006 9.17 3.25 518 643 27.90 11.29
2005 8.87 3.10 467 692 24.38 12.61
2004 8.79 3.19 471 760 24.32 14.26
2003 7.63 2.99 399 572 17.92 10.04
2002 7.67 2.79 302 621 13.57 10.20
2001 8.73 3.12 307 580 15.74 10.61
2000 8.58 2.93 278 623 13.99 10.73
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TOTAL 88.53 30.27 4311 7125 227.18 126.43
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Avg.(10) 8.85 3.03 431.10 712.56 22.72 12.64
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1999 8.79 2.98 302 640 15.59 11.23
1998 9.29 2.92 302 511 16.49 8.78
1997 8.90 2.96 302 528 15.79 9.18
1996 9.12 3.15 332 506 17.82 9.37
1995 9.06 3.00 318 601 16.96 10.59
1994 7.86 2.65 308 513 14.27 8.00
1993 7.44 2.80 287 488 12.54 8.04
1992 7.54 2.84 310 543 13.79 9.05
1991 7.66 2.84 265 768 11.89 12.80
1990 7.44 2.66 268 615 11.69 9.63
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TOTAL 83.11 28.80 2993 5112 146.84 96.68
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Avg.(10) 8.31 2.88 299 571 14.68 9.67
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1989 7.33 2.60 313 560 13.49 8.56
1988 7.34 2.51 243 568 10.51 8.39
1987 6.47 2.57 240 572 9.14 8.63
1986 6.95 2.51 228 527 9.29 7.76
1985 7.53 2.36 261 514 11.55 7.15
1984 7.38 2.24 247 449 10.70 5.93
1983 7.72 2.22 173 223 7.84 2.91
1982 7.87 2.26 187 364 8.65 4.84
1981 8.06 2.21 177 337 8.40 4.40
1980 7.82 2.11 169 339 7.77 4.20
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TOTAL 74.48 23.59 2237 4454 97.33 62.76
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Avg.(10) 7.45 2.36 224 445 9.73 6.28
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1979 8.13 2.02 168 368 8.02 4.37
1978 8.12 1.90 166 244 7.93 2.73
1977 7.87 1.84 156 300 7.23 3.25
1976 6.89 1.86 147 224 5.95 2.46
1975 7.35 1.85 154 267 6.65 2.90
1974 7.56 2.03 158 300 7.05 3.59
1973 7.57 1.85 142 343 6.35 3.72
1972 7.68 2.01 147 336 6.61 3.97
1971 7.80 1.96 161 361 7.41 4.16
1970 7.61 1.75 127 312 5.66 3.20
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TOTAL 76.57 19.08 1526 3056 68.83 34.35
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Avg.(10) 7.66 1.91 153 306 6.88 3.44
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G.Total 333.70 104.64 11581 21008 573.46 331.48
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Average (41Y) 8.14 2.55 282.47 512.39 13.99 8.08
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USDA Figures converted from Lbs and Acres to Kgs and Hecates respectively.
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