BAHAWALPUR, July 21: The government is contemplating to reduce the cotton production target by 10 per cent for the year 2008-09.

An official source said the government would soon announce the decision after reports of shortfall in per acre yield of the commodity poured in from across the country, particularly from the cotton belt area.

He said that it was in the knowledge of the government circles that the farming community had cultivated eight to 10 per cent less cotton.

The reasons cited for bringing less area under cotton cultivation were the hike in prices of electricity, petroleum products and inputs like fertilizers.

In addition, he said that cultivators had to face problems like the shortage of canal water, non-availability of certified cotton seed and massive attacks of milli bug and other pests on their crop.

The source said the government had targeted 3.2 million hectare area for the sowing of cotton in the country, but the crop could be cultivated on 2.95 million hectares during the current season.

To avoid pest attacks, the farmers preferred to cultivate sunflower and other crops, he said.

The government had fixed a cotton production target of close to 14 million bales for the current season, but this target had now been revised and reduced to 12 million bales.

The announcement regarding the shortfall of cotton production was expected soon during the next meeting of the Cotton Crop Assessment Committee, he said.

For this purpose, the federal government had asked the agriculture department of the provincial governments to communicate the cotton sowing figures by the end of the current month, he said.

POL price : Political, social and public circles are synonymous in condemning in the strongest words the highest ever increase in POL prices by the coalition government.

The immediate effect of the unprecedented hike in POL prices has come as unilateral increase in fares by private transporters here on Monday.

The taxi and rickshaw drivers demanded high fares which forced many to look for a cheap mode of transport.

Episodes of quarrel and brawl were seen at various places between commuters and conductors of buses and wagons.