Islamabad, May 13, 2025: Cotton cultivation in Punjab has seen a major boost this Kharif season (2025–26), with sowing spreading across 2.116 million acres, up from 1.806 million acres during the same period last year.
This sharp rise reflects the province’s renewed focus on reviving the cotton sector, a cornerstone of Pakistan’s textile-driven economy.
Punjab has set an ambitious target to sow cotton on 3.5 million acres this season—an increase from last year’s 3.221 million acre goal.
So far, approximately 60% of this target has already been achieved, according to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.
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The federal and provincial governments are working in tandem to distribute quality seeds, pesticides, and fertilisers to farmers to sustain the momentum in cotton cultivation in Punjab.
In northern Punjab—including Sargodha, Faisalabad, Lahore, and Sahiwal—this year’s sowing target stands at 400,000 acres, up from 317,000 acres last year.
Of this, 218,000 acres have already been cultivated, marking steady progress compared to 184,000 acres sown by this time in 2024.
Meanwhile, southern Punjab districts like Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Bahawalpur are leading the charge, with 1.898 million acres already under cultivation, meeting 61% of their target.
This is a noticeable increase from 1.622 million acres in the same period last year.
A Ministry spokesperson highlighted the government’s initiatives to improve farming practices through training programs and enhanced crop management strategies.
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These efforts aim to maximize cotton yields and improve farmer incomes amid global competition and changing climate conditions.
Nationally, Pakistan has set a cotton cultivation target of 2.2 million hectares for the current season, with an overall production goal of 10.18 million bales.
If current trends continue, Punjab is likely to play a leading role in helping the country meet—and potentially surpass—these targets.
