Pakistan witnesses downtrend in Cotton Production, Kinnow exports

Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan, the country has witnessed a downward trend in cotton production and kinnow exports.

According to the media reports, the 2020 has been the worst year in Pakistan’s history in the cotton production in which only 3.8 million acres of cotton cultivated.

The target for cotton production per acre was set up to 863 kilograms and barely 635 Kilograms per acre was produced while the total production was 5.5 million bales.

It was reported that in the last five years, the area under cotton had fallen from 2.9m to 2.5m hectares. Reportedly it went down further by 4pc in 2020 year.

In between, the yearly fluctuation (-14pc in 2016-17, and -12pc in 2018-19) in acreage complicates the picture as well.

On the other hand, the onset of COVID-19 is driving up demand for fresh and processed citrus products around the world and Pakistani citrus exporters are unable to capitalize on these market conditions.

Pakistani citrus exporters say that a target of 3.5 million tons on kinnow fruit was set to export this winter season, however the restrictions on are and sea routes have resulted decline in exports.

Markets where demand is still strong, like the Middle East and China, are becoming more expensive to reach.

Back on the 17^th of this month, Advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razzak Dawood has said that the top officials of the commerce ministry are deliberating the decline of exports to 10 countries and chalking out strategies with trade attaché.

The data showed that Pakistan’s exports to 10 markets declined particularly to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) fell by 22% from $607 million last fiscal year to this year’s $474 million.

The country’s exports to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia fell by 8.2% from $217.46 in 2019 to $199.73 in the same period.