• Cotton Ginners Forum blames poor enforcement of crop zoning laws; sugarcane in cotton zones cited as key threat to yield and quality

LAHORE: Deputy Prime Mini­s­ter Ishaq Dar is spearheading the launch of a new comprehensive str­ategy, the Pakistan Cotton Plan 2026, aimed at aggressively revivi­ng the country’s declining cotton production.

The plan, which consolidates various earlier proposals from the Ministry of Food Security and the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), is expected to be presented to the deputy prime minister shortly, it has been learnt.

Implementation of the strategy is anticipated to significantly boost cotton yields, which would lead to a substantial reduction in the national import bill for cotton and edible oils.

The initiative comes amid inc­r­easing alarm over the continued decline in both the quantity and quality of Pakistan’s cotton output, despite multiple earlier efforts, sources say. Stakeholders, including the Cotton Ginners Forum, identify the failure to enforce crop zoning laws as the primary cause of the persistent decline.

Forum Chairman Ihsanul Haq stresses that cotton production and quality cannot improve unless there is a complete ban on sugarcane cultivation in designated cotton zones. Sugarcane cultivation in these areas is known to be detrimental to cotton crops.

He highlighted the superior quality of cotton grown in less-cultivated areas like Balochistan and Cholistan. Despite minimal use of fertilisers and micronutrients, the cotton produced there yields fiber with greater length and strength than conventional varieties.

This premium quality earns prices at least Rs500 per 40kg higher for raw cotton (phutti), while the cottonseed (banola) sells for at least Rs1,200 per 40kg more due to its higher oil content.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2025