By Azeem Ahmed Khan

Pakistan plans to rebuild its cotton sector through tougher seed regulation, biotechnology-based research, institutional restructuring and human resource development to increase productivity, protect domestic producers and reduce reliance on imported cotton.

According to official documents of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, a copy of which is available with Wealth Pakistan, the measures form part of a wider effort to revive cotton production and reinforce Pakistan’s textile value chain through stronger research, regulation and institutional capacity.

A major part of the reform push is stricter seed-quality regulation. The government has delegated seed inspector powers to provincial extension personnel to strengthen field-level monitoring and improve enforcement against poor-quality and uncertified seed.

Regulatory action against the illegal seed trade has banned 391 fake seed companies involved in producing and marketing uncertified and fraudulent seed, according to the documents.

The government has also facilitated the import of high-performing hybrid cottonseed and imposed general sales tax on imported cotton to create a level playing field for domestic producers.

The documents said scientists of the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee developed and secured approval for 14 improved cotton varieties from the Punjab and Sindh Seed Councils during 2021-2025. These varieties possess important traits, including high-yield potential, heat and drought tolerance, resistance to bollworm and Cotton Leaf Curl Virus, early and uniform maturity and superior fibre quality.

The Pakistan Central Cotton Committee, established under the Cotton Cess Act, 1923, is the country’s premier institution for cotton research, development and promotion. It operates through the Central Cotton Research Institute in Multan and the Central Cotton Research Institute in Sakrand.

The documents said the committee has continued to make significant scientific contributions to cotton revival. It also maintains Pakistan’s largest living herbarium of cotton wild relatives at the Multan institute, comprising 24 cultivated and wild Gossypium species.

This genetic resource serves as a national repository for developing future cotton varieties with stronger resistance to insect pests and diseases, greater tolerance to heat and drought and improved adaptability to climate change.

Another major policy milestone is the approval of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy, which provides a framework for the development, evaluation, regulation and commercialisation of biotechnology products and genetically modified crops in line with internationally accepted biosafety standards.

The policy is expected to accelerate the development and commercialisation of high-performing genetically modified cotton varieties with greater resistance to pests and diseases, improved tolerance to heat and drought, better fibre quality and higher yield potential.

It is also expected to encourage innovation, strengthen public-private partnerships in agricultural research, speed up adoption of modern technologies and reduce production costs.

Alongside regulatory and policy reforms, the government has launched a major capacity-building initiative under which about 1,000 agricultural graduates have been sent to China for specialised training in advanced agricultural technologies.

Their training covers biotechnology, precision agriculture, mechanisation, seed systems and climate-smart agriculture, to strengthen Pakistan’s research and agricultural extension services.

Institutional reforms are also under way. The sixth meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Essential/Cash Crops on the Revival of the Cotton Sector, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister on October 22, 2025, directed the restructuring of the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee to improve its governance and performance.

The meeting also directed that Cotton Cess collection be assigned to the Federal Board of Revenue and that the cess rate be revised to ensure sustainable financing. The Ministry of National Food Security and Research was tasked with implementing the necessary legal and administrative measures in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

The documents said these measures would improve farm profitability, increase national cotton productivity and reduce dependence on imported cotton, contributing to the revival and long-term competitiveness of the sector.

Credit: INP-WealthPk