According to Punjab agriculture minister Pakistan is unlikely to produce the estimated 15mn cotton bales during the season 2019-20 due to less area coming under cultivation for the crop.
This means that the country will have to spend huge amount of foreign exchange for importing around 2.2-2.5mn bales to meet the expected shortfall. Last season the import bill for 4m cotton bales stood at .
3bn.
According to official figures the total area under cotton cultivation this season was achieved at 69mn acres against the target of 71.
54mn acres. This area stands 14.3pc higher over 2018-19 when cotton was sown on 67.01mn acres and a production of 10.
07mn bales was achieved.
Mr Asif Inam, Former Chairman APTMA (Sindh Baluchistan Zone) said that textile industry had been importing cotton from India to meet the shortfall but now they will have to pay extra cost towards freight on importing cotton from far-away countries after suspension after New Delhi illegally changed Occupied Kashmir’s status.
