Causes of Cotton Decline in Pakistan: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

This comprehensive review aims to find the causes of the decline in cotton production in Pakistan over the years. The study explains in detail the causes of the decline in production in Pakistan and the future of cotton production in Pakistan. Cotton, sometimes called 'white gold,' is traditionally the chief money spinner in Pakistani agriculture. This essential crop is the backbone of Pakistan's textile sector, contributing about sixty per cent of the country's overall exports. On the other hand, Cotton production sales in Pakistan have been worsening over the past decade, and the crop is facing several complications. This slumping cotton production is expected to drop to just 6.9 million bales by the 2024-25 season, down from 15 million bales just a decade ago. This is happening in the worst kind of season possible. There are several reasons for the decline in cotton production in Pakistan. The issues are climate change, obsolete agricultural techniques, a lack of investment in current technology, and government policies favoring alternative crops. In Pakistan, many pests carry a persistent risk to the cotton crop. These pests include the army-worm, white-fly, pink boll-worm, and jassid. These pests can inflict damage more significant than the economic harm threshold if allowed to continue uncontrolled. This may result in severe losses in both yield and quality. Mainly because the need for cotton revival is growing with time, the findings emphasized in this research constitute a vital addition to the current body of knowledge. These results will serve as a road map for decision-makers and institutions to revitalize the cotton crop in the core cotton zone. Before the completion of this research, there was a lack of sufficient scientific knowledge about cotton failure, particularly in the core cotton zone. A small number of the currently available research is descriptive, and their scope is restricted. For this investigation, a thorough list of constraints is retrieved and experimentally derived via principal component analysis. The reasons for cotton failure in the cotton zone are discussed. In this manner, the research fills in a methodological gap that was previously present and provides the foundation for the recommendations that will be used for the future course of action.