ISLAMABAD, June 8: The ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) on Thursday set this year’s cotton production target at 13.8 million bales, 1.4 million bales more as compared to 12.4 million achieved last year.

The cotton production fell by 1.9 million bales last year as against the bumper crop of 14.3 million bales in 2004-05 because of adverse weather conditions and unavailability of cheap inputs to farmers, particularly fertilisers and pesticides.

A 13 per cent decrease in the cotton production along with 6.2 per cent negative growth in sugarcane badly hampered the overall GDP growth last year, as the agriculture sector could only grew by 2.5 per cent as compared to 6.7 per cent the year before.

The cotton target was fixed at a meeting here presided over by Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan. Senior officials of the commerce ministry, Trading Corporation of Pakistan, provincial and federal governments and representatives of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, Karachi Cotton Association, Pakistan Cotton Ginners’ Association and growers also attended the meeting.

It was decided that in order not to miss this year’s target, the government had to provide inputs to the farmers well on time with special focus on pesticides and fertilisers. An action plan intimating the responsibilities of stakeholders from various public and private sectors was also finalised to achieve the cotton target and avoid untoward situations during sowing, growth and marketing of the crop.

The minister also directed the organizations and departments concerned to keep a close eye on the day to day situation of cotton crop and ensure availability of inputs, including fertilisers and pesticides.

The meeting was informed that the government had already enhanced the seed cotton intervention price to Rs1,025 per 40kg from Rs975 last year in order to safeguard the interest of growers.

Mr Bosan said the TCP would be inducted in the process whenever required to ensure that farmers received these rates.

Official sources told Dawn that the meeting was also informed that farmers in southern Punjab were not getting the Rs415 per 40kg minimum price announced by the government for the procurement of wheat and allegations of kickbacks and commissions by food department officials allegedly in connivance with landlords.

They said representatives of the provinces informed Minfal that the production of cotton fell last year because in some areas farmers were not given reasonable rates for their produce. This year, wheat growers were not getting the minimum prices for their crop which had increased the possibility of reduction in the wheat sowing area next year.

Mr Bosan informed the meeting that the inter-ministerial committee would regularly monitor the market price and payment of premium price to those who grew high quality of cotton.

The meeting was told that in order to encourage the production of clean and contamination-free cotton, the ministry of textile industry would launch a special campaign in collaboration with the TCP and Pakistan Cotton Standard Institute, provincial governments and stakeholders from the private sector to ensure that premium on better grade cottonseed was passed on to the farmers.

The question of middlemen was also raised at the meeting by the representatives of growers, who said usually the money meant for the farmers went to the pockets of the middleman, compelling them to stay away from quality cotton production which cost them more.

The meeting also reviewed the cotton situation at the global level. It was informed that the world’s consumption of cotton was likely to surpass production by about three per cent that would likely to push up price by 10 per cent in 2006-07.

Cotton sowing in the country was reportedly being done at a high pace and that there were good prospects for achieving the target. Salient features of the Cotton Vision 2015 were also discussed to firm up the cotton production targets and methodology for its achievement with identified roles of all public and private sector stakeholders.