Punjab thinks there will be a 12 to 15% increase in cotton acres this year, but farmers think there will be a 35% increase, especially for early sowing, because there are a lot of good things going for the crop this year.
There was a lot of mustard, which meant a lot of space had to be cleared for cotton. Maize and rice planting time had not yet come, so all the land was used for cotton.
A farmer and a seed seller from South Punjab say that cotton this year started out well. Farmers were motivated to grow this year because last year’s prices stayed high for the whole season. The farmers made more money because the weather was good and they used only a few sprays and a small amount of money to manage the crop.
“Cotton thrived this year because of this experience,” Mr. Shah says. “Though the early sowing window is from February to the first week of April, farmers found a seed in December this year.” Farmers wanted to start and grow their crops as soon as possible because of the good economy. How much money would it make in real terms? Only time could answer that question. But the start has been good, at least in the south. The only thing that isn’t clear right now is how much water there is, which is putting a stop to the whole thing. One worries about this because of the extreme load shedding and lack of diesel in the last three weeks, which kept the tube wells quiet.
Farmers’ opinions are taken into account by the Punjab government before each important crop. This year, the government expects a 12 to 15 percent increase over last year’s 3.16 million acres. However, it says this is just a survey, and the real picture will come out in June when the process is over. This is when the process is over. At least 90% of all cotton crops are sown in the “core” area. This means that in this area, the expansion might only be about 10%. However, in the upper part of the province, the increase may be more than 100%, but it may not have a big impact on the final figure, says one of the government officials.
Abad Khan, another cotton farmer from south Punjab, thinks that even though cotton acres are growing in his area, farmers aren’t willing to go for it all the way. Farmer’s had a good season last year, and they want to do the same this time around. because they still don’t have full faith in the crop yet. Yes, if we have another good year, cotton could be back at the top of the kharif crop list next year.
They are also afraid because of the chaos in the seed market. Most of the seeds on the market don’t know who they came from or how well they will grow. It only made them more afraid. The bad weather that made last year’s high performance possible is getting worse by the day, which makes the farmers more afraid to plant. Another problem for farmers is water, which makes it hard to plant crops, and diesel supply and prices are another source of confusion for them.
As long as the government doesn’t raise prices, it tells people every day how hard it is for them to keep the price at the same level. The amount of money it says it helped farmers make is a nightmare for them. Farmers and farming would be in a doomsday situation if it went up by another Rs100 per litre, as the official explanation says. This would be bad for both. All of these things are still holding farmers back, says Khan.
