After remaining largely unaffected by acute water shortage, Sindh’s standing cotton crop has come under pest and viral attacks and may result in huge production losses, despite the prevailing per maund rates of Rs 4,000 to 4,200. The cotton crop is ready and has started arriving in the market with luxury rates in the Mirpurkhas division, which is known for early production of different crops, including cotton and wheat. Farmers from the Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, and Umerkot regions- major cotton growing areas – have also made a flurry of complaints regarding different diseases and artificial irrigation water shortage.
Growers of cotton have welcomed the excellent rates but complained about acute shortage of irrigation water and pest attacks from jasid, phirip, mealy bug, leaf curl virus, army worm and red leaf. They claim that different diseases have destroyed crops on thousands of acres in Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Sanghar, Badin, Tando Allahyar, Nawabshah and other parts of lower and upper Sindh, where around 30 percent area of the cultivated cotton has been affected.
Mirpurkhas Agriculture Officer Yar Muhammad Khaskeli told Pakistan Today that cotton has started arriving in the markets of the Mirpurkhas region as this region is the early production region. “Last year, the target of cotton production was more than 40,000 hectors and this year the same target is expected.”
Farmer Organisation Council-Sindh chairman Javed Junejo said that late sowing, water shortage, improper land management, poor quality seed and fertilisers, adulterated DAP and fake pesticides and insecticides often result in outbreaks of diseases like mealy bug, curly leaf virus, army worm and reddening of leaves.
“Cotton and ginning factory owners have still not started their factories but it is expected that the rates might decrease after the factories have started functioning.
“As soon as the first drop of monsoon rains drops, the factory owners will reduce the buying rates by around 50 percent on the pretext of rains. The government should take precautionary steps that the rates are not decreased for assuring the growers,” he added.
According to the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association, cotton production is expected to increase by 29 percent in the country this year. The Food and Agricultural Ministry set a target of 15 million bales of cotton this year and the production target is likely to influence the prices in the coming days.
The expected price of cotton in the international market this year is around $1.35 a pound. Sources in the Agriculture Department said that ginners in Sindh and Punjab are confident about a continuous upward trend in lint prices before the arrival of fresh crops in mature state by early August.
