Illegal Rice Growing Damages Some Cotton Crops in Pakistan

By Jim.Robinson|July 29, 2010

Despite laws specifically outlawing the cultivation of rice in certain regions of Pakistan, inconsistent enforcement leads some farmers to plant the crop anyway, damaging nearby cotton fields. Sources believe that as much as 500,000 acres of rice are now planted illegally in the cotton belt regions of Sukkur and Ghotki.

The law was put into place because growing rice increases the underground water level, which burns and waterlogs the cotton crop. Local farmers say that the inputs for cotton cultivation have become too expensive and that the yield on rice makes it a more profitable option. As a result, over the last five years, the half-million acres of cotton that once were grown there have slowly given way to rice fields.

One local grower quoted in the July 22 edition of The Express Tribune said he wanted to grow cotton as opposed to rice, but the farmers around him decided that rice was a better option—and, since the two crops can’t be grown together, he had no choice but to plant rice as well.

Although local officials are aware of the problem, they say they don’t take action to enforce the law (known as Section 144) unless specifically directed to do so by the home department.

“A colleague of mine is a ginner in the upper sindh area,” said Atif Dada, Director of Dada Sons (Pvt) Ltd. Karachi and The Karachi Cotton Association, in an interview with Cotton International. “When this problem came up last year, he contacted the local authorities and action was taken to stop rice from being planted in the restricted areas. Although there are rules in place, they aren’t enforced at least 50 percent of the time. The general consensus is that until and unless crop zoning is available, it will be difficult to implement the law.”