Pakistan increases 2013-14 cotton production target

Pakistan’s Ministry of Textile Industry has increased the cotton production target for the forthcoming season to 14.1 million bales, up from the ongoing season’s target of 13.3 million bales, the Ministry informed the Senate Standing Committee on Textile and Production.

The estimations for forthcoming season’s output have been derived on the basis of ongoing season’s acreage-output estimates, where country is expected to yield 13.3 million bales of cotton from seven million acres.

Next season, the cultivation acreage is expected to rise to around eight million acres to deliver an output of 14.1 million bales, Cotton Commissioner Dr. Khalid Abdullah informed the meeting headed by Senator Maula Baksh Chandio.

Water crisis during sowing period and floods and rains in the latter part of the crop season, damaged around one million bales of cotton during the ongoing season, causing the Government to set the current season’s output target below previous year’s actual output of 13.59 million bales, Dr. Abdullah said.

Condemning the Government for its gas provision policy for textile industries, Textile Industry Secretary Dr. Waqar Masood said 434 textile units with captive power plants get 225 million cubic feet gas per day (mmcfd) from the Government. These plants generate around 680 megawatts (MW) power, but the electricity so generated is used by these units for their personalized consumption, without making any contribution to the national grid station.

The Secretary suggested that instead of providing gas to these units, it should be provided to four Lahore-based power plants, which are more efficient and have ability to generate more power. The cost of power-generation at these plants would be much less and would benefit the general public, he added.