20000208

Ex-farm cotton output

estimated at

10.7 m bales

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The cotton crop assessment committee has estimated production of 10.7 million bales this year.

The standing committee on cotton held a meeting on Monday in Karachi under the chairmanship of Shafi Niaz, member of National Security Council.

The committee, which was attended by all important segments of cotton production, consumption, processing and trade, observed that the inflow of cotton in the ginning factories from the farms would amount to about 10.7 million bales. This will be ex-farm production.

However, the ex-ginned cotton estimate remained around 10.2 million bales. Some ginners said that the reported production would be less than 10 million bales as a number of ginners and farmers "do not pay sales tax and remain unregistered".

"Having worked out various modalities for the final assessment of the part of production yet to reach the ginning factories and the observations of the committee members, it was unanimously agreed that the cotton production this season may be around 10.7 million bales (Punjab 9.5 million and Sindh 2.2 million) on ex-farm basis," announced Shafi Niaz.

The committee noted that during 1999-2000 a total of 2.963 million hectares (Punjab 2.329, Sindh 0.634 million) were brought under cotton crop vis-a-vis last year's cotton area of 2.913 million hectares, thereby showing a rise in area sown this year by 1.72 percent (Punjab-2 percent and Sindh-0.6 percent).

The per acre yield in Punjab increased by 30.2 percent and in Sindh by 10.8 percent over last year.