Pakistan will import cotton after an estimated 1.4 million acres of the area where the crop is cultivated have destruction due to floods.

Date and sugarcane crops have also seen massive destruction while issues are being faced in transporting tomatoes and onions to major cities of Pakistan, which is in turn driving their prices upward. As a result Pakistan has suspended duty and taxes on import of onions and tomatoes. Already import of onion from Afghanistan resulted in reduction of its price in many parts of the country.

The US and Pakistan are working to help resolve issues relating to production of cotton and its trade between the two countries. The US is Pakistan’s largest trade and investment partner. There will be a technology transfer of high-yielding cotton seeds to Pakistan. The US will introduce improved, genetically modified, and certified seeds in Pakistan and share information on weather forecast. Pakistan will be updated on the best global practices in cotton and textiles being adopted by various countries. Mutual cooperation between American cotton growers and Pakistan’s textile industry is seen as offering a win-win situation for both countries where raw cotton imported from the US is converted into manufactured textile products and exported back to the US after enormous value addition.