Pakistan is likely to reap around 12.66 million bales of cotton during the current season, the Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) informed its first meeting headed by Shahid Rashid, Secretary Ministry of Textile Industry.
The committee convened its first meeting in Multan to arrive at an estimate of country's cotton output for the current season.
Cotton Commissioner, Ministry of Textile Industry (Mintex), Dr. Khalid Abdullah laid a detailed comparative analysis of current and last year's cotton production data and also provided an idea regarding the market situation, to arrive at an unbiased estimate about crop output for the current season.
As compared to last year's cotton acreage, area under cotton cultivation in Punjab decreased by 7 percent to 2.356 million hectares, while in Sindh, it reduced by 12 percent to 0.58 million hectares during current year, the Committee was informed.
The reduction in crop acreage is mainly due to low prices of crop during last year, lack of water irrigation facilities during sowing period and increased incidences of CLCV attacks during the current season.
In addition, heavy rains that hit the country during September this year also damaged around 234,982 acres of area under cotton cultivation in Punjab and Sindh.
After considering all factors like the figures furnished by the provincial governments, present crop arrival situation, plant population, boll weight, bolls per plant, incidences of CLCV, area damaged by floods and rains, the Committee pegged its estimates for current season's crop output at 12.66 million bales.
The Committee would be reviewing these estimates again at its December 5, 2012 meeting.
Source:
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