Reviving a dwindling cotton crop

Just recently, the prime minister constituted a 15-member committee tasked with formulating policy and administrative measures to revive cotton production in the country. Once a net exporter, Pakistan touched a production peak of 13.96 million bales in 2014-15. Since then, however, output has experienced a dramatic downturn, plummeting to just 5.5m bales in 2024-25 — 50 per cent below target and 34pc lower than last year’s yields. This sharp decline has forced the country to import raw cotton worth $1.56 billion in July-January (FY25) — nearly double the $0.723bn spent during the same period in FY24 — to sustain its textile and garment industry. Unfortunately, the rising imports of raw cotton, along with edible oil, are further depleting Pakistan’s already strained foreign exchange reserves.