A worker harvests cotton in a cotton field in Multan, Pakistan on Oct. 26, 2023. (Photo by Mansoor/Xinhua)
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan registers an 82 percent increase in cotton production as compared to last year, the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association said on Saturday.
As of Oct. 31, around 6.8 million bales arrived at the ginning factories across the country as compared to 3.7 million bales last year after the crop got damaged by floods and heavy rains.
The country's south Sindh province which lost almost a whole crop last year, saw a whooping 132 percent surge in cotton production this year, the association noted.
However, despite the increase in production, the country still needs to import cotton bales to meet the needs of the textile industry.
According to the target set by the Federal Committee on Agriculture, Pakistan needs 11.5 million bales for consumption in the textile sector.
The total cotton crop this year is expected to be around 9.5 million bales, and the textile industrialists have to import an additional two million bales, the association said. ■
Workers harvest cotton in a cotton field in Multan, Pakistan on Oct. 26, 2023. (Photo by Mansoor/Xinhua)