President of the Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman of the National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman of the FPCCI Policy Advisory Board and Former Provincial Minister, Mian Zahid Hussain, has said that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ Agricultural Census 2024–25 has identified several serious risks to the country’s agricultural sector. The 29 percent decline in the area under cotton cultivation has created difficulties for farmers, rural employment, industrial production and the country’s largest export sector.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that according to the Agricultural Census, the area under cotton cultivation stood at 9.23 million acres in 2010, but declined by 29 percent to only 6.51 million acres in 2024. In contrast, the acreage of wheat, rice, maize, orchards, and fodder increased during the same period. Cotton now accounts for approximately eight percent of the country’s total cropped area. Last year, cotton was cultivated on 3.83 million acres in Punjab, 1.83 million acres in Sindh and approximately 840,000 acres in Balochistan. He said that the reduction of approximately 2.72 million acres in the area under cotton cultivation in 14 years cannot be regarded as a routine change in crop selection. Cotton is the primary raw material for Pakistan’s textile and apparel industry and supports the livelihoods of farmers, agricultural workers, ginning factories, spinning mills, oil mills, transporters, traders and thousands of small businesses operating in cotton-producing districts. Cottonseed cake, an important source of animal feed, is also obtained from this crop. A decline in cotton cultivation does not affect farmers alone; it damages the entire local economy, reduces rural incomes and weakens industrial activity.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that during the first nine months of FY2025–26, the textile sector accounted for approximately 59.6 percent of Pakistan’s total exports and generated about 13.5 billion dollars in foreign exchange earnings. The Pakistan Economic Survey has also highlighted the shortage of domestically produced cotton, while cotton cloth exports declined by 10.9 percent. He said that if the decline in domestic cotton production continues, dependence on imported cotton will increase, resulting in the contraction of the agricultural economy, greater poverty and higher production costs. It will also place additional pressure on foreign exchange reserves and further weaken the competitiveness of Pakistani exporters in international markets. He added that farmers are moving away from cotton cultivation because of low and uncertain returns, expensive, substandard fertiliser, electricity and water shortages, climate change, pest attacks, and an ineffective pricing system. Until cotton is made more profitable, more secure, and less risky than competing crops, appeals to farmers to increase cotton cultivation will not yield meaningful results.
Mian Zahid Hussain demanded that the federal and provincial governments immediately formulate a coordinated National Cotton Revival Programme. Before the sowing season, farmers should be provided with certified, high-yielding and climate-resilient seeds that are resistant to pests. Strict and indiscriminate action should be taken against counterfeit, substandard, and fake agricultural chemicals. Agricultural research institutions should be directly connected with farmers, while modern pest-surveillance systems, weather-forecasting services and agricultural advisory facilities should be established in all major cotton-producing districts. He said that the support price for cotton should be announced well before the sowing season, and an effective market-intervention mechanism should be established to ensure its implementation. Farmers should be provided with low-interest agricultural loans, crop insurance, timely canal water and easy access to modern agricultural machinery. Cotton zoning should be introduced in areas naturally suitable for cotton cultivation to prevent further loss of cotton acreage to water-intensive or competing crops.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that the Agricultural Census has also highlighted other structural weaknesses in the country’s agricultural sector. The number of farms in Pakistan increased from 8.26 million to 11.10 million, but the average farm size declined from 6.4 acres to 5.3 acres. The number of fragmented farms increased by 76 percent, while an average fragmented farm now consists of seven separate plots. The mechanization of farming, efficient irrigation management and commercially viable agriculture are increasingly difficult, particularly for small farmers. He said that the Agricultural Census should not be treated merely as a statistical document. Its findings should be converted into actionable policies, provincial targets and district-level implementation plans. The revival of cotton is not merely an issue for farmers; it is directly linked to industrial development, the employment of millions of people, textile exports, foreign exchange reserves, and overall economic stability.
Mian Zahid Hussain warned that if timely measures are not taken, Pakistan’s dependence on imported cotton will increase, and the country’s valuable foreign exchange will go into the pockets of foreign farmers instead of supporting Pakistani farmers. At the same time, Pakistan’s most important export value chain will become even weaker.
