The government has set ambitious projections for cotton production, estimating it at 11.5 million bales from cultivation across 2.4 million hectares for the current season. This reflects a substantial increase of 126.6% compared to last year’s output.
During a meeting of the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA), chaired by Federal Minister Dr. Kauser Abdulla Malik, the committee reviewed Kharif crop performance, production targets for Rabi crops in 2023-24, and discussed input supply for crop planting.
The committee’s provisional estimates for the 2023-24 season include a significant rise in cotton, rice, moong bean, mash, and chili production. Wheat production was set at 32.12 million tons with targets for gram, potato, onion, and tomato.
Certified seed availability for Rabi crops was reported to be satisfactory. Irsa projected a 15% water shortage for Punjab and Sindh, but manageable, due to favorable weather conditions.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) aims to boost agriculture with a higher agricultural credit target of Rs2,250 billion for 2023-24, a 26.7% increase over the previous year. In July-August 2023, lending institutions disbursed Rs326 billion, a 44% increase compared to the same period in the previous year, supporting the government’s agricultural sector promotion agenda.
