Heavy rains continue to threaten the cotton harvest in Sindh and south Punjab.
As much 1.5 million bales to 2 million bales, or 15 to 20% of the cotton crop has already been damaged, according to Gohar Ejaz, chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association in media reports.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture had set an original production target of about 16 million bales for 2011/12. Currently, the harvest is estimated to produce between 14 and 14.5 million bales. Because of recent weather conditions global cotton prices will remain high, as Pakistan normally exports two million bales per year.
In addition to weather, Ejaz expressed concern about the government’s oversight on gas used to power textile mills. Mills were without gas two to three days out of the week, stifling productivity and industry growth, he said.
Pakistan’s government should treat textile mills differently and allow them to run all seven days, preventing a loss of up to $4 billion dollars, Ejaz said.
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