RECOGNISING the need for an independent body to look into and deal with cotton issues and facilitate its producers, the Sindh government created the post of Cotton Commissioner in 2010. And it appointed Mr Hubdar Jatoi in that position, but without providing any supporting facilities to make the office operational.

This is an example of how often the provincial government sets its agenda without any strong will to pursue it vigorously. Administratively, the office of the commissioner requires proper paraphernalia, including staff and a schedule of newly established entities that enlists the number of posts of different scales etc. Time and again, the issue has been brought to the notice of the relevant authorities, with no results so far.

“We lag behind in planning and better management of our otherwise rich cotton sector. There is indifference at the government level that is badly affecting this sector. We are losing cotton acreage due to absence of planning,” says Nadeem Shah, a member of the sub-committee on research of the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), which works under the ministry of textile.

“If the government has created this important office, it should own and equip it with the required staff and resources. We need a comprehensive policy and planning to regulate cotton cultivation in Sindh. Unfortunately, it is not being done, and we are fast losing our cotton area, even though it has great potential,” he says.

The Sindh government created and filled the post of the provincial cotton commissioner in 2010, but this office remains dysfunctional for want of essential staff and facilities

This separate office was created to ensure proper regulation of the sector, as well as to increase vertical growth in cotton, improve quality, implement the Cotton Control Act 1966 and monitor the working of ginning factories etc. However, the required powers have not yet been delegated to the office.

After the 18th amendment, the post of the cotton commissioner was abolished at the federal level. It used to coordinate with the provinces and took initiative every crop season to improve output. Now, there seems to be very little liaison between the federal and provincial governments on cotton issues.

For example, cotton growers are crying hoarse these days against lower prices being offered by ginners to them for phutti. They are getting Rs2,200 to Rs2,300 per maund, even though the provincial agriculture department agreed in principle in June to fix the support price at Rs3,200 for cotton. But the Sindh chief minister has not yet signed the summary pending before him.

Nadeem Shah points out that availability of water and other farm inputs, considering the varying sowing patterns in different regions within the province, are very important. This has to be handled and coordinated at the official level. It used to be the case previously, when the federal cotton commissioner would try to make sure that water and other inputs like fertiliser, urea and seed were made available in case of early sowing.

Similarly, the commissioner would take care of late cultivation as well. He deplored that authorities remain least concerned about growers’ problems, and points out there are major gaps that need to be filled by the government if it is committed to promoting the cotton crop.

There is a need for serious investment in production, technology and certified seed. When issues related to Sindh’s cotton scenario are discussed, the province remains almost unrepresented at the PCCC level, which is an important forum for evaluating cotton-related things.

There is a growing concern among farmers that cotton cultivation is becoming less profitable for them as the cost of inputs is increasing, whereas they are not getting a fair price for the crop. They say that is why they have started switching over to crops like rice and sugarcane in areas such as Ghotki and Sanghar, which are well-known for cotton production. Both these districts couldn’t achieve their cotton sowing targets for the 2014-15 season.

Sindh fares better in per hectare yield than other parts of the country. Against the national per hectare output of 22 maunds, the province produces 40 maunds. Likewise, Sindh’s per hectare lint cotton’s average yield for three years (2009-10 to 2011-12) was 1,335kg, against Punjab’s 650kg.

The province, however, continued to show a drop in cotton acreage for these three years. In 2009-10, Sindh’s area under cultivation was 634,700 hectares, which dropped to 457,000 hectares next season, and fell further in 2011-12 (but due to rains mainly in the lower Sindh region). The decline is attributed primarily to price factor. Nationally, Sindh contributes 20pc in area and 24pc in cotton production, as per the provincial agriculture department’s assessment.

Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, August 18th, 2014