Pakistan Cotton Second-Best Ever

Avatar for Matt Hopkins By Scott C. Lucas|19 May 2006

Pakistan’s 2006/07 cotton crop is expected to be the country’s second-largest ever at 2.3 million metric tons (MT) thanks to normal weather conditions and a stable input supply, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS).

Cotton, predominantly a monsoon season crop, is planted from the end April through June and is harvested in the Fall. Planting intentions are usually influenced by the relative prices of competing crops such as sugar cane and rice, weather forecasts, and government policy. The increased use of inputs and dedication to cotton comes on the heels of a financially successful 2005/06 season for Pakistan’s cotton growers.