Pakistan’s cotton output may fall short of the target by 10.26 per cent. The country’s biggest crop producer Punjab is facing a water shortage. However, the parameters for production, including plant population, bolls per plant and boll weight, are better than last year’s.

Production was recorded at 10.6 million bales during the crop year of 2016-17. There was sowing on 2.753 million hectares this year, up 13.9 per cent as compared to the previous year’s area under cultivation. The cotton crop size for Punjab is now projected at 8.80 million bales, followed by Sindh (3.70 million bales) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan with 0.10 million bales each.

Farmers are being trained for the management of pink bollworm as well as the leaf burning syndrome. Cotton prices are also encouraging for farmers. The country is making all-out efforts to boost cotton production by taking supportive measures for all stakeholders. Measures have been taken for the establishment of a National Textile University in all four provinces for technology upgrade and skill development in the agriculture sector.

Due to nominal carry-forward stocks and depleting cotton reserves of China, India and US, prices of the commodity in the local market would remain stable during the season.