PAKISTAN’S cotton economy is in a crisis. Production has fallen from a peak of 14m bales 10 years ago to 5.5m bales during the last crop cycle, increasing the reliance on imports to meet the textile industry’s demand and, in the process, further straining Pakistan’s meagre foreign exchange reserves. There are multiple reasons for the cotton crop’s decline: climate change, poor quality seeds, higher input costs, invasion of traditional cotton areas by the more profitable sugarcane, price volatility, etc. Guided by the success seen with hybrid rice and maize in the country, several private firms have lately renewed efforts to introduce hybrid cotton to obtain higher yields at much lower costs. Nearly 150 acres of land in Punjab and Sindh are reported to have been planted with hybrid cotton, following the lifting of a ban on the import of hybrid seed imports a few months back. However, some cotton sector stakeholders, including the agriculture scientist community, are sceptical of the success of hybrid technology. Their doubts stem more from past failed attempts to introduce this than the results of present trials, which will not be known before the start of the harvest.

There is no doubt that most hybrid cotton trials, conducted both in the public and private sector, failed to produce the desired results in the past. However, this failure was due primarily to the incompatibility of the hybrid varieties cultivated here under local climate conditions. Also, seed companies do not expect hybrid cotton production to fully match the success seen with hybrid rice and maize. Yet the new hybrid varieties being tried this year are expected to yield a significantly higher output than the local but weaker short-fibre varieties. While past failures must guide future efforts, they should not impede renewed efforts to revive the nation’s cotton economy. Rather than oppose the push for hybrid cotton, our agriculture scientists must accept their failure to develop high-yield cotton varieties, which is a major factor responsible for driving farmers to other crops. Pakistan’s dependence on cotton-based exports is no secret. We have seen textile export margins being squeezed in recent years due to the increased dependence on the fibre’s import because of its falling domestic output. It is time that the efforts to introduce new high-yield, quality seed varieties — whether or not hybrid — are fully supported.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025