Muhammad Saleem
Cotton production has nosedived from 14 million bales in 2014 to 10 million bales in 2024, underscoring an urgent need for promoting modern technology to improve yields. Talking to WealthPK, Dr Husnain of the Ayub Agriculture Research Institute said that the decline in production is causing serious issues, particularly for the textile sector. Speaking to WealthPK, he said that a sustainable textile sector cannot be ensured without addressing the issues of the industry.
“This decline is alarming, indicating that our agricultural practices are unable to battle the emerging challenges that are hitting production,” he added. “Multiple factors are contributing to the decline in cotton production, and the first and foremost is climate change.” “Unpredictable weather patterns are making it difficult for farmers to closely monitor their crops.
Due to this, they are unable to get good yields. Besides, we are also experiencing unusual temperatures that are delaying planting and damaging crops,” Husnain noted. He said that pest infestations are also a hard nut to crack. “Farmers are struggling to control pests like whiteflies and pink bollworms, which have caused great damage on many cotton fields in the past.” “Our farmers lack pest management strategies.
This situation is leaving them vulnerable, which is ultimately putting them in a tight spot, leading to a decline in production and inflicting financial losses on them,” he said. Dr Ahsan, an agricultural economist, discussing the impact of lower cotton production on farmers and the textile industry, told WealthPK that farmers are struggling financially as high input costs and fertilizers are draining their wallets and low production is adding fuel to the fire.
“The dire situation is forcing some growers to quit cotton farming, which is not a good omen for the agriculture sector of Pakistan. We need more profitable crops to attract the youth to the agriculture sector,” he said. “Amid the emerging challenges and predicaments facing farmers, we need to invest in research and development to provide climate-resilient cotton seeds to growers. Similarly, we have to train our farmers in pest management strategies,” Ahsan emphasised.
“The government should increase funding for research institutions,” he said. He suggested that a foolproof mechanism should also be developed to prevent misuse of funds and ensure positive outcomes of the research. “Another issue discouraging farmers from cotton cultivation is the influx of duty-free imports,” he said. “We have to protect farmers by banning these imports and announcing incentives to encourage domestic production.”
Credit: INP-WealthPk