Pakistan’s cotton production for the year 2022-23 is estimated to fall by 43 per cent compared to the past year.

The primary reason for this year’s situation is the devastating monsoon floods that damaged major cottongrowing regions. Pakistan is the fifth largest cotton producer globally but the country will need to import at least five million bales in the ongoing fiscal year to meet the demand from the textile sector.

Farmers in Pakistan have continued to grapple with severe droughts and catastrophes like floods. Sugar mills have come up in cotton growing areas. Sugarcane has proved a better alternative for farmers tired of failing to protect cotton from pinkboll worm and other constraints, but the reward cannot outweigh the cost borne by the country in terms of losing textile exports.

The country’s fields have been populated with biotechnology cotton, originally developed for temperate environments with lower pest infestations and never intended for subtropical climates like in Pakistan and India.Bacterial treated cotton doesn’t grow well at temperatures above 40 degrees, which are usually the average in summer. Given the year-long crop cultivation with no crop planning, insects stay in the field for the whole year. Transgenic varieties can prove to be the key in battling pests, weeds, and climate.