KARACHI, Dec 19: The Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) on Monday was informed that 10.219 million bales had reached the ginning factories by December 15, 2005 which was 12.9 per cent short when compared with the arrivals on the same date last year.

The committee met here to review the current crop size with Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan in the chair. The meeting was attended by Minfal ADC, FDPP DC, vice-president PCCC, Secretary Agriculture Sindh, other senior officers of the department, TCP and representatives of PCGA, KCA and growers.

It was reported that the wide gap in arrivals noticed at the early season had declined from 46 per cent to 13 per cent.

Besides, the ginning output this season was also reportedly better than last year.

Taking stock of the situation and the possible arrivals after in the rest of season the committee unanimously agreed to place the current cotton crop size at 12.7 million bales ex-farm as of December 19, 2005, including 9.7 million bales for the Punjab, 2.9 million bales for Sindh and 0.1 million bales for Balochistan and NWFP.

Mr Bosan informed that the final assessment of the crop size would be made in the first week of next month when the PCGA’s cotton arrival figures due on January 1, 2006 would also be available.—APP