Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The first meeting of Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) held here and estimated local cotton production at 10.200 million bales during the current season.
The CCAC met here under the chairmanship Chaudhry Mohammad Ayub, Additional Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security and Research. Representatives of Provincial governments Sindh and Punjab, Plant Protection Department (PPD), Trading Cooperation of Pakistan (TCP), Federal.Seed Certification & Registration Department (FSC&RD), Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA), Karachi Cotton Association (KCA), and Cotton Growers attended the meeting. The Committee met to asses the volume of current cotton crop in the country.
The meeting appreciated the stakeholders’ interest and participation in the process of cotton crop assessment and described the objectives of the meeting. Dr. Khalid Abdullah, Cotton Commissioner, dilated the over view of cotton production scenario in the country. Challenges faced by the cotton crop especially high in put prices, insect pests pressure and higher temperature were also discussed in detail.
Representatives of the provincial government explain the methodology for crop assessment and informed the meeting about the crop estimates. He informed that cotton production in Punjab province was estimated at 6.200 million bales comprising on 170kg.
The cotton output during the season in Sindh was estimated at 3.900 million bales, in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 0.100 million bales respectively. Member representing APTMA was of the opinion that the assess mentis very realistic and the ground realities are very close to this forecast. Cotton growers emphasized the need of price intervention by the government in such away that benefit should go directly to growers.
Speaking on the occasion Additional Secretary, MNFS&R said that cotton crop size was assessed on the basis of data provided by Provincial governments, yield parameters of cotton and ensured the second assessment will be held after 3-4 weeks’ time.