This year, Pakistan cultivated cotton over a 47.4 per cent larger area compared to the corresponding period of last year. Pakistan’s cotton output has improved this year with the availability of water. More than 76 per cent of the targeted area was brought under cultivation. A major chunk of cotton was sowed on time made possible on the back of better water management. The major beneficiary of smooth water supplies has been the province of Sindh that was otherwise starved of water last year due to low river flows. Against the target of 0.64 million hectares, cotton sowing was completed on 0.39 million hectares in Sindh – the highest yielding province in the country.

Chances of pink bollworm attack on the cotton crop this year are slim due to better off-season management. Sowing of cotton before April provided early feed to the pink bollworm, which is the most threatening pest for cotton and early crops became hatcheries for them. Infestation of pink bollworm on cotton crop is not a good sign. The attack, if not controlled, snowballs into a bigger onslaught on the later stages of the crop, cutting yields significantly. As the moist weather invites pests already present on the corn fields, the threat to standing cotton plant multiplies with the wetness providing favorable growing conditions for them.