Cotton Production in Pakistan Affected by Floods

Pakistan's Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) has projected cotton production in the country at 12.22 million bales for the current season 2011-12. This was announced at a meeting attended by representatives of  provincial governments, farmers, Karachi Cotton Association (KCA), Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA), All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Department of Plant Protection (DPP).

This year's cotton crop was planted on 0.67% and 12.25 % above the target area set for Punjab and Sindh provinces, respectively. Standing crop was good, Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV) disease incidence and pest attack was low as compared to previous years and a bumper crop of about 15 million bales was expected. However, recent rains and floods in Sindh and in Punjab resulted in shedding of flowers and immature fruiting bodies on an huge area.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is emerging as a cotton growing area and a substantial increase in the cotton cultivated area in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank was reported. The representative of KP government asked APTMA to provide incentives to poor growers in the area to enhance cotton production. An APTMA representative said that they were ready to provide seeds to the growers in that area.

The original article is at http://pabic.com.pk/12.223m%20bales%20Cotton%20Production%20Expected%20in%202011.html.