PAKISTAN’S cotton crop is on the ropes. The crop output has been falling since FY15, when the country harvested a record quantity of nearly 14m bales. In the past 10 years, its production has fluctuated from 4.9m bales to just over 10m. This year is no different, as the output is estimated to plunge by nearly a third to around 7m bales from last year’s 10.2, the latest cotton arrivals indicate. Even though Pakistan remains the world’s fifth largest cotton producer, our share in global production has plunged to around 6pc compared to India’s 22pc.

The reasons for the collapse of the cotton crop, the backbone of the textile exports, which fetch over half our export revenue, range from government policy failures to farmers shifting from cotton to more profitable crops like sugarcane due to unavailability of quality seeds, slow adoption of modern farming practices and the impact of climate change. Our scientists and researchers have done little to build new seed technologies to help cotton farmers fight crop diseases and manage the impact of the climate change as seen in heatwaves, drought, and excessive rain. It was against this backdrop that the First National Cotton Revival Conference was held in Multan recently. The government officials, scientists, researchers, and growers attending the moot called for “policy reforms, including the development of high-yield and climate-resilient seed varieties, efficient irrigation systems, and enhanced farmer support programmes” to revitalise the cotton economy. The world is implementing “sustainable and better cotton” initiatives to improve the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of cotton production. This makes it imperative for Pakistan to urgently implement suggested policy reforms to revive the cotton economy so that it remains a part of the global textile and clothing supply chain. However, if the past is any guide, there is little chance of the authorities considering these suggestions, let alone implementing the much-needed reforms.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2025