PCGA asks govt to import cotton seeds from China

The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has asked the Government to import cotton seeds from China, reports The News.

 

PCGA chairman Mukhtar Baloch said the unavailability of germinated seeds at right time is affecting the cotton crop.

 

He warned that the future of cotton in Pakistan might be bleak if the farmers do not virus-resistant and certified seed supply at the right time.

 

He said cotton growers in Punjab and Sindh provinces have incurred huge monetary losses due to spurious and substandard seeds.

 

By January 1, 2014, about 12.67 million bales of cotton reached ginneries across the country, surpassing the 12.336 million bales estimated for the current crop season by the Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC), according to the PCGA.

 

In 2012-13 cotton season, Pakistan’s cotton output fell by 12.81 percent year-on-year to 12.915 million bales, compared to the previous season’s production of 14.813 million bales, mainly because of less sowing of the crop.

 

PCGA is a representative body of over 1200 ginning factories all over Pakistan.