rahimyar khan -


Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has issue final figures for domestic cotton production in 2012-13. According to report, total domestic cotton production is 12,915,585 bales that are 1,898,194 bales (12.81pc) less than previous year. That report says that during the year 2012-13 Punjab produced 9,508,418 bales that are 2,623,662 bales (21.62pc) less than the previous year whereas Sindh produced 3,407,167 bales that are 725,468 bales (27pc) higher than previous year 2011-12. The textile mills so far have purchased 12,162,321 bales in current season and exported 353,345 bales as compared to the export of 1.1 million bales in 2011-12.
The report further revealed that 400,000 bales are still lying unsold in cotton ginning factories. Ihsan-ul-Haq Ex-Executive member PCGA told that target for cotton production, after revising many times, was fixed as 14 million bales for the year 2012-13 which couldn’t be achieved. He further explained that main reason of shortfall in cotton production was misleading forecast by the Met department for 43pc more rains in April/May 2012 as compared to the year 2011 that led to apprehensions and low planting area for cotton crop. The shortfall in area was in thousands of acres. He said that another reason for shortfall in production was record higher prices of agricultural inputs like diesel, fertilizers, pesticides etc. in 2012-13 whereas increase in cotton production in Sindh during 2012-13 is mainly for its comparison with the crop of 2011-12 that was heavily damaged due to heavy rains and floods.