Agriculture: Opting for sustainable farming

Dawn reported that Mohammad Siddique Channa, a small farmer in Lasbela district, Balochistan, now grows organic cotton on 15 acres, having cut spending on fertiliser, pesticides, non-GMO seed and insecticides. He began on a smaller plot several years ago and expanded with help from the provincial government and textile millers. Munir Roonjho, a neighbour in Bela taluka, said organic methods trimmed his input bill by between Rs50,000 and Rs60,000 an acre.

Organic cotton now covers close to 133,257 acres in Balochistan, spread over Kohlu, Barkhan, Khuzdar and Lasbela, while Washuk, Kharan and Dera Bugti are the next districts chosen for the crop. Dr Syed Habibullah Shah, Director Balochistan Agriculture Extension, said output in 2025 reached about 159,000 bales from 89,000 certified acres, with the rest of the registered area still in certification. Textile and ginning groups that sponsor growers supply non-GMO seed and pay a quality premium above the per-40 kg seed cotton price after third-party checks.

Textile millers argue that domestic organic cotton, now 2 to 3 per cent of total cotton, could help lift textile exports from $19bn to $35bn a year if cotton production rises from 7m to 15m bales. According to the Economic Survey 2025-26, fertiliser accounts for 10 to 15 per cent of major crop production costs, and farmers spend Rs1.2 trillion a year on it.