KARACHI: Pakistan needs to import around 4.5 million cotton bales, which would have more pressure on the vulnerable economy, Karachi Cotton Brokers Association official said in a meeting.

Naseem Usman, chairman of the association, expressed concern over declining cotton production in the country.

At the time of independence of Pakistan, cotton production was recorded around two million bales, which increased to record 14.8 million bales in 2015/16.

Production has dropped to nearly 11 million bales annually, which would further drop to 10.5 million bales this year, a decline of one million bales from last year. It is alarming as consumption demand increased to around 15 million bales, he added. To fulfill the industrial demand, around 4.5 to 5 million bales would be imported.

Usman urged the government to seriously take the issue and introduce high yielding quality seeds and assure more production, as counterfeit seeds were in large quantity in the market, while there was shortage of quality seeds and pesticides.

He appealed that water distribution should also be made equitable, as people on the head usually use more water than those at the tail-end, as they receive not enough water for their crops. “Growers should also be provided subsidy and incentives to grow more quality cotton,” he added.