ISLAMABAD (February 15 2004): The cotton crop showed a production of 8.869 million bales till last month, depicting a shortfall of 3.6 percent as compared to the corresponding period last year.

The provincial agriculture departments had recorded cultivation of cotton crop over an area of 3.040 million hectares of which 103,000 acres damaged by the current monsoon rains, which is 3.4 percent of the cultivated area.

However, the crop condition is stated to be satisfactory, and it is likely to achieve the production target of 10.55 million bales during the current season.

According to official sources, the crop was sown over an area of 3.039 million hectares.

The targets of cultivation and production of cotton for the current year was set at 2.86 million hectares and 10.55 million bales.

Cotton was sown over 2.435 million hectares in Punjab against the set target of 2.264 million hectares, showing an increase of 12.9 percent in the same period last year.

While in Sindh, it was cultivated over 0.556 million hectares against the target of 0.556 million hectares showing an increase of 25.6 percent over the last year.

The sowing of cotton in Balochistan was made over an area of 41,000 acres, while its cultivation' was made over 6,000 thousand acres in NWFP.

Courtesy Business Recorder