Cotton crop suffers major losses.

Byline: Parvaiz Ishfaq Rana

KARACHI -- Climate change resulting in high temperatures, heavy rains and gusty winds has taken its toll on cotton crop production which reduced by 21 per cent to 6.097 million bales as against 7.706m bales produced in the same period last year.

According to Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) figures till Nov 1, 2019 released on Monday, Punjab suffered cotton production losses by up to 34.5 per cent and Sindh by 18.15pc.

Last year's cotton production was itself highly dismal at 10.07m bales. Comparing current season's cotton production with 2018-19 cotton season would not give a fair picture, particularly when the country produced 14.96m bales in 2013-14.

Apart from harsh weather, recent locust attack in some cotton growing areas of Punjab and second spell of rains last week in upper Sindh has further deteriorated the situation, observed cotton analyst Naseem Usman.

A wholesome change in cotton policy and its cultivation methodology is urgently needed if the country has to remain a cotton growing country in the world, he further added.

A grower and cotton trader from Umer Kot, Mr Gomomal told Dawn there is an urgent need to develop new cotton seeds varieties which could meet the climate change challenges.

He further said the current season's results of cotton cultivation and production should be an eye opener for the government, growers, ginners, textile industry and as a nation we have to collectively find a way out to averted such debacle in future.

A ginner from Punjab, Mian Mahmood Ahmed bemoaned the situation and said that last year a total 909 ginning units...