LAHORE: An abnormal decline in domestic cotton production and abysmal performance of ginning factories make the fortnightly data, released by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) on Wednesday, doubtful.

The PCGA says that as of Sept 15, the total phutti arrival at ginning units was 1,434,028 bales, a significant decrease of 63.55 per cent compared to the 3,933,846 bales recorded during the same date last season. It reports that only 302 ginning units are operating against 614 units last year.

An insider says that ginning units report an average of preparing 45 bales per day against the normal working of 100 bales daily. This means that a large quantity of lint is going undocumented to avoid the payment of higher taxes imposed by the government this year, he says, requesting not to be named.

Domestic cotton production is projected to be only 6.5-7.0 million bales this season, significantly below the national requirements.

In Punjab, cotton production touched 538,686 bales in contrast to 1,544,634 bales produced by this date last year, indicating a 65.13pc decline.

In Sindh, 895,342 bales have been produced this year, compared to 2,389,212 bales during the same period last year, reflecting a 62.5pc fall in production. In Balochistan, the total cotton production for the year stands at 34,900 bales.

The significant fall in domestic cotton production may be attributed to several key factors, including climate change, extreme heat and drought, heavy rains and pest infestations.

These challenges have pushed production costs beyond the reach of many farmers, while climate-resilient cotton varieties capable of yielding optimally under such harsh conditions have yet to be developed.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2024