Page 10 - TEXtalks May-June 2021

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The global cotton stock and Pakistan sets export

Pakistan’s situation for 2021 target of US$ 35 bln for

2021-22

Due to increased orders in textiles and previously increased exports, Pakistan’s government sets a
high export target worth US $ 35 bln for 2021-2022. The breakdown is US $25 billion exports in goods
and US $ 5 billion in the services sector.

Advisor to the Prime Minister for Commerce and Investment Mr. Abdul Razaq Dawood said that the
textile sector performed well as its exports touched US $ 15.5 billion, which would further mount US $
20 billion next year.

The government has also reduced the taxes on importing new raw material that could favor the high
set targets. The government has focused on both traditional exports as well as innovative trade,
including engineering, pharmaceuticals, information technology and food processing. Nevertheless,
the role of textiles, especially value-added textiles, is critical in achieving US $ 35 bln exports for
2021-2022. The biggest hurdle is that the government has not approved the zero-rating for the textile
According to the latest update from the International by the United States Department of Agriculture sector to support this target.
Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), global cotton (USDA), Pakistan’s cotton production for Marketing
stock levels are set to increase to 22m tonnes by the Year (MY) 2021/22 is forecast at 5.3 million 480
end of 2020/21. The increase in stock could be pound (lb) bales, up 18 percent from the revised
attributed to the stocks-to-use ratio decline by the 2020/21 estimate, due to availability of new seed
COVID-19 pandemic. Cotton consumption is varieties, better pest and disease management, and ICAC announced
expected to increase by 2% to 25.3m tonnes as the government support.
global economy continues to recover.
According to the report, Pakistan’s cotton output the Cotton
The cotton production is expected to increase by 5% remains at historic lows, but it will continue to import
to 25.5m tonnes due to the increase in planted areas large volumes of cotton to keep its textile mills Researcher of the
in the US and West Africa. Trade is expected to rise humming. MY 2021/22 imports are forecast to remain
by 2% to 10m tonnes, with import anticipated constant at 5.0 million 480-lb bales. Textile mill Year Award 2021
increases in all major consuming countries. However, consumption is forecast slightly higher at 10.3 million
China’s stocks are expected to decline as the rest of bales due to brisk milling activity undergirded by
the world expands slightly. In terms of prices, the solid government support policies for the country’s Professors Bruce Tabashnik and Jonathan F. Wendel Arizona for the last 24 years. Tabashnik’s research
Secretariat’s current projection for the year-end important textile industry. have won the ICAC Cotton Research Award 2021. has provided fundamental knowledge about insects
2019/20 average of the A Index has been revised to The ICAC honors a leading cotton researcher each for enhancing agricultural sustainability and reducing
81.9 cents per pound this month. The price Cotton planting in Sindh started at the end of March, year by awarding a certificate of recognition, a shield, the use of harmful insecticides.
projection for the year-end 2020/21 average of the A and in Punjab, it began in early April 2021. Punjab and an honorarium of US$1,000. The winners will be
Index is 87.1 cents per pound this month. officials prohibited seed planting before April 1, 2021, presented at the 79th Plenary Meeting, 6-9 Decem- Jonathan F. Wendel is a Distinguished Professor in
to counter the timing of pink bollworm activity in ber 2021. The winners were selected by an the Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal
Being a cotton-rich country, Pakistan’s cotton cotton-producing areas. Therefore, the damage was independent panel of six eminent experts from six Biology at Iowa State University, USA. Professor
production plays a significant role in the global textile avoided. Furthermore, there are no reports of locust different countries. Wendel’s research focuses on mechanisms underly-
market. At the start of 2021, Pakistan’s textile attacks across Pakistan this year which means that ing plant genomic and phenotypic diversification,
industries witnessed a loss of cotton production cotton crops could produce a better yield. The Prof. Bruce Tabashnik is Head of the Department of focusing on the phenomenon of whole-genome
cultivated in 2020. The news was not welcomed Punjab Seed Council (PSC) approved 15 new cotton Entomology at the University of Arizona, USA. He is doubling or polyploidy. Most of his ~300 publications
across the textile sector as the yarn was imported varieties for cultivation in Pakistan, having better one of the most influential scientists of our times in focus on the cotton genus (Gossypium), in which two
from other countries, leading to an increase in the properties and less prone to environmental and pest entomology and biological sciences, leading the diploid and two polyploid species were each
final product prices. However, according to a recent attacks. Therefore, it is expected that in 2021, Pakistan Department of Entomology at the University of independently domesticated thousands of years ago.
report named “Cotton and Products Annual” issued will have a better cotton yield compared to last year.

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