Cotton production in Pakistan

A woman spinning cotton yarn in the North-west Frontier Province

Cotton production in Pakistan is the backbone of the nation's economy. Cotton is grown as an industrial crop in 15% of the nation's land during the monsoon months of May to August, known as the kharif period, and is grown at a smaller scale between February and April. Record production of cotton was reported at 15 million bales (each bale=470 lbs) in the form of phutti (seed cotton) during 2014–15, which was an 11% rise compared to the previous season (2013–14). Production-wise, Pakistan occupies the fourth position among the cotton growers of the world, the first three being China, India and the United States, in that order. In respect of exports of raw cotton, Pakistan holds third position, and is the fourth in consumption (about 30 and 40 per cent of its production). It is the largest exporter of cotton yarn.

History

Earliest period of Cotton production

The earliest known historical find of cotton is from Mehrgarh in Quetta, which makes Pakistan one of the early regions of cultivated cotton.[1] Cotton was discovered in threads found on a copper bead which was found in a burial site dated to the Neolithic period (6,000 BC).[1] The mineralized threads were subject to metallurgical analysis with a combination of a reflected-light microscope and a scanning electron microscope. This analysis revealed that the threads were of cotton (genus of Gossypium).[1][2] Cotton cultivation became more widespread during the Indus Valley Civilization, which covered parts of present day eastern part Pakistan and northwestern India.[3] Archaeobotanical evidence of seeds have been traced to the Mehergarh to 5000 BC though it is not certain if they belonged to the wild variety or from cultivation. Use of Cotton cloth has been traced to 2500 BC from Mohenjo-daro and Harappa of Indus civilization period. Cotton species of Gossypium pollen has been recorded at Balakot.[4] At Harappa, evidence of cotton threads have been found tied to the handle of a mirror, an antiquity from a female burial site, and around a copper razor.[5]

Cotton is purely a cellulose fibre crop, one of the four major crops in the country, and is known by popular epithets as “King cotton” and “white gold”. It forms the primary input for the textile industry of Pakistan.[6]

Growing regions

Cotton which is the backbone of the Pakistan's economy is grown as an industrial crop in 15% of the nation's land. It is grown during the monsoon months of May to August, known as the kharif period. It is also grown at a smaller scale between February and April.[7]

Cotton is grown mostly in the two provinces of Punjab and Sindh, with the former accounting for 79% and the latter 20% of the nation's cotton growing land. It is also grown in Khyber Pakhtoon Khawah (KPK) and Balochistan provinces. The total land area of cotton cultivation was reported as 2.95 million hectares during the 2014–15 growing season, and is unlikely to change during the 2015–16 season. Generally, small farmers with land holdings of less than 5 hectares (12 acres) land are the largest group of growers;[7] farmers holding of less than 2 hectares (4.9 acres) account for 50% of the farms. Land holdings of 25 hectares (62 acres) under cotton form less than 2% of farms.[8] According to a 2013 estimate, there were 1.6 million farmers (out of a total of 5 million in all sectors) engaged in cotton farming, growing more than 3 million hectares.[7][8] Cotton serves as the base for the nation's industrial sector.[8]

Varieties

Farmers have widely adopted Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) cotton since its first trial in Sindh province in 2002. It is now used in 95% of the area.[7] The Punjab Seed Council has approved the use of 18 Bt cotton and non-Bt varieties for cultivation. These are: BT varieties FH-114, CIM-598, SITARA-009, BH-167, MIAD-852, CIM-573, SLH-317, TARZAN-1, NS-141, IR-NIBGE-3, MNH-886, and non-BT varieties NIBGE −115, FH-941, FH-942, IR-1524, Ali Akbar-802 and NEELAM-121.[9] In Sindh province, local Sindh varieties of cotton are also grown in about 40% of the area.[10] They are generally planted in April–July, with harvesting done from August to December.[1]

Production

Production of cotton was reported at a record high of 15 million bales (each bale=470 lbs) in the form of phutti (seed cotton) during 2014–15; this was an 11% increase compared to the previous season (2013–14). Its phenomenal growth was from 1.38 million bales in 1961 to 11.138 million bales in 2014, with the estimated 2014–15 figures showing a further increase to 15 million bales.[11] Between 1980–81 and 1990–91, the growth in production was rapid, with production rising from 0.70 million to 2.2 million tonnes, which was called the "magic year" of Pakistan's cotton industry. This was attributed to better pest control measures, use of improved seed types, and increased use of fertilizers.[12] The cotton and textile industries are integrated and account for 1,000 ginneries, 425 textile mills, and 300 cottonseed crushers and oil refiners. Cotton hybrids, created by crossing the Bt gene into traditional varieties, have been developed by local firms dealing with seeds.[7] In Sindh province cotton is grown in more than 1 million acres in the districts of Benazirabad, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Mirpur Khas, Naushero Feroz, Sanghar, Badin, Sukkar, Ghotki, Tharparkar, Thatta, and Umar Kot.[6] In terms of production, Pakistan is placed at the fourth position among the cotton growers of the world; the first three are China, India and the United States, in that order.[13]

Raw cotton exported from Pakistan holds third position in the world. Consumption-wise it holds the fourth position(about 30 and 40 per cent of its production). It is the largest exporter of cotton yarn.[8]

Cotton produced within the country is of medium staple. Hence long staple cotton is imported to produce quality fabrics for export.[7]

The country's economic development is largely dependent on the cotton industry and its related textile sector, and this has given a principal status to cotton in the country.[13]

Uses

Apart from use in textiles in the form of cotton lint, yarn, thread, cloth, and garments, its seeds are used for oil extraction.[6]

Diseases

Viruses and pests affecting yield of Bt cotton varieties are: Cotton Leaf Curl Virus, pests like White Fly, Mealy Bugs, Aphids, Pink Boll Worm.[7]

Exports

474,091 bales were exported during the 2014–15 season, an increase from 382,006 bales in 2014–15.[11] The cotton and textile industries play a dominant role in exports;[13] cotton accounts for 55 percent of country's export earnings, and Pakistan has a 14% share of the world's cloth exports.[1] The European Union (EU) granted Generalized System of Preferences "Plus" status to Pakistan in 2013, which has promoted textile exports to the EU.[7]

Legal framework

Though a bio-safety regulatory system was part of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution that "devolved" several functions to the provinces, the system is still unclear with regard to regulators who can oversee the approval of new seed technologies. In this context the three regulatory acts which are under approval stage are the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act, Amendments to the 1976 Seed Act, and the Biosafety Law. Passage of these laws is crucial to the introduction of new biotech events.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Country Report for Pakistan at the 72nd Plenary Meeting of International Cotton Advisory Committee to be held from 28th September to 5th October, 2013 at Cartagena (Colombia)" (pdf). International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC). 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Moulherata, Christophe; Tengbergb, Margareta; Haquetc, Jérôme-F.; Mille, Benoı̂t (12 December 2012). "First Evidence of Cotton at Neolithic Mehrgarh, Pakistan: Analysis of Mineralized Fibres from a Copper Bead". Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 29, Issue 12. pp. 1393–1401. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Stein, Burton (1998). A History of India. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-20546-2, p. 47
  4. ↑ Ancient Pakistan - an Archaeological History. Amazon. 25 October 2014. pp. 245–. ISBN 978-1-4959-6643-9.
  5. ↑ Upinder Singh (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education India. p. 163. ISBN 978-81-317-1120-0.
  6. 1 2 3 "Cotton" (pdf). Sindh Enterprise Development Fund, Government Of Sindh. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Pakistan:Cotton and Products Annual" (PDF). Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN). 1 April 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Banuri, Tariq (February 1998). "Pakistan: Environmental Impact of Cotton Production and Trade" (pdf). International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "Punjab Seed Council approves cotton varieties". Pakistan Today. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "Sindh cotton crop estimates". The Dawn. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Cotton production reaches 14.838 million bales". The Dawn. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  12. ↑ Textile Industry of India and Pakistan. APH Publishing. 1 January 2006. p. 44. ISBN 978-81-7648-958-4.
  13. 1 2 3 Osakwe, Emeka (18 May 2009). "Cotton Fact Sheet Pakistan" (PDF). Onternational Cotton Advisory Committee. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
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