A ‘national cotton research and development programme’ has been launched to help achieve the cotton production target of 25 million bales by 2025 through evolution of high- yielding, long staple, heat-resistant and drought tolerant cotton varieties.

The programme has been launched following the recent government decision to shift the subject of cotton from the Ministry of Textile Industry to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

A complete overhauling of the cotton crop sector will be carried out under the programme with specific emphasis on research and development for enhancing cotton productivity per unit area. To achieve the objectives, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has devised an eleven-point thematic strategy for commissioning the research.

The project will be executed by PARC with the collaboration of an inter-provincial committee, and an ‘endowment fund’ will be created under the secretary of the national food security ministry. While the programme will run in project mode in three years, the endowment fund will become functional to support cotton research on a sustainable basis.

The project has been estimated to cost Rs2,500 million. Since 20 per cent of the total allocation will be incurred on the projects and the remaining amount will be deposited into the endowment fund, saving from the annual allocation will also be deposited in the endowment fund account.

A complete overhauling of the cotton crop sector will be carried out under the programme

Keeping in view the importance of the project activities, savings from the block allocations made under the PSDP 2018-19 will be accommodated. Moreover, the agricultural research support fund of Rs5 billion and agricultural technology fund have already been announced in the current fiscal year’s budget.

According to PARC Chairman Yusuf Zafar, “we missed the opportunity to revive area because of maltreatment of sugarcane growers suffering due to low price. It is also due to this reason that there was considerable delay in shifting the cotton subject from the textile ministry to the food security ministry.”

“The ginning industry is the weakest link in the whole value chain and needs to be modernised. Moreover, there is also a need to overhaul the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee to make it purely professional and technical,” he said.

To achieve the 25m bales by 2025 target, the wide yield gap between progressive and non-progressive growers must be bridged. This can happen through awareness raising and proper dissemination of technology.

The planning commission report has emphasised collaboration with cotton research and development agencies of international repute for sharing technology in the wake of Seed Act 2015 and Plant Breeders Rules, 2016. Provincial governments and cotton-related institutes will also be encouraged under the new programme.

Production of cotton in the country is currently hovering around 10m to 12m bales since 2014-15, except in 2015-16 when production dropped to 9.9m bales.

The endowment fund was established to achieve the country’s long-term development goals for self-sufficiency identified in the Planning Commission report.

The report recommended targeting control of Cotton Leaf Curl Virus disease through breeding and crop management; development of commercial cotton hybrids; development of BT cotton and heat, insect, salinity and drought tolerant and early maturing varieties.

It also emphasises evolution of long and extra-long staple cotton varieties; focus on integrated pest management, mechanisation, improvement in ginning process, quality and containment; and transfer of technologies.

Research results show that about four to six million bales are lost every year due to Cotton Leaf Curl Virus disease and a faulty seed system. Likewise, weeds, insect pest infections contribute about three to four million bales loses in production annually while half a million bales get lost due to poor ginning machines.

Cotton crop is not only a lifeline but also occupies a unique position in the agrarian economy of the country. It has a one per cent share in GDP and contributes 5.2pc in agriculture value addition.

The weaker than expected recovery in cotton is making it harder to supply raw material to Pakistan’s textile mills, ginneries, cottonseed crushers and oil refineries. At least 15m bales of cotton are needed to fill the current consumption gap.

In order for cotton to fulfil its potential, plant architecture and enabling technologies are required to be developed with regular reviews to meet the various challenges the crop faces.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, July 16th, 2018