ISLAMABAD – Short spells of rain are not harmful for cotton crop, applying and adopting the proper management practices, healthy out-put could be achieved.Commenting on the impact of current rains in major cash crop cotton, Agriculture Development Commissioner, Dr. Khalid Abdullah said that short spell of rains would not affect the crop.However, he said that stagnant water, standing in the fields over 24 hours is dangerous for cotton plant and urged the growers to take proper measures of drainage to avoid any bad impact on crop. “No serious pest attack has been reported so far from the field formations adding that some areas under cotton crop received minor virus attack however it was under control, he added.He further informed that despite water shortage crop out look was satisfactory and expressed the hope that about 13.45 million bales would be achieved during the current season. He further informed that about 9.43m cotton bales are set to produce in Punjab Province.
where as 4 million bales to be produced in Sindh province adding that some areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan has also witnessed healthy sowing trend during current season.It may be recalled that in Punjab, cotton crop has been cultivated over 5,264,000 acre as against the fixed targets of 6,200,000 acre for the year 2012-13, showing an 84.4 per cent achievement in the province.He said that in Sindh province cotton crop was cultivated over 1,363,000 acre as compared to 1,660,000 acre fixed for the current sowing season.Over all cotton crop has been cultivated on 6,627,000 acre as against the set targets of 7,860,000 acre which was down by 15.3 per cent as compared to the sowing of same period last year.