Sindh cotton experiment faces winter test

Farmers in Sindh’s coastal districts of Thatta and Sujawal have started sowing cotton in November, an unusual timing that could bring lint to spinners by February or March if the crop survives winter. Dawn reported that researchers at the Central Cotton Research Institute are monitoring fields and running trials, while cautioning that cold soil, fog, disease and possible damage to fibre quality could undermine the crop.

The experiment’s potential benefit is also clouded by conflicting supply figures: the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association recorded 1.999 million Punjab bales by October 31, while the provincial Crop Reporting Service estimated 3.7 million bales of output and reported 3.64 million arrivals by November 5. Dawn said the gap of more than 1.6 million bales could distort price signals; lint was around Rs18,500 per maund, and inaccurate estimates could affect growers’ selling decisions and mills’ import planning.