KARACHI, Feb 4: Amid sustained flow of phutti (seed cotton) from fields into ginneries even during the third picking, the country has managed to produce a record 14.016 million bales of cotton up to February 1, 2005.

Despite the fact that the third picking normally yields much lesser phutti and is treated as a picking of remnant flowering but this season (2004-05) the higher than expected crop size has broken all past records in the history of the country.

This could be verified from the fact that during January 15 to February 1, 2005, a total of 254,732 bales reached ginneries, which is by any standard much higher than past records.

Though the Pakistan Cotton Ginners' Association (PCGA) did release last year's corresponding arrival figures by stating "data was not collected as on 01.02.2004," but sustained arrival of phutti surely indicate that more cotton was on its way.

"It would usher well for the textile industry which now has bigger appetite for cotton consumption than past years to meet higher world demand under quota free era," observed cotton analyst Naseem Usman.

He said that this would also bring in prosperity to the rural areas of the country as the growers would demand more industrial goods with the increase in their income from cotton crop. Consequently, it will help trigger higher industrial activity as well as higher GDP growth for the country.

The most encouraging development of current cotton season was that Sindh province had managed to produce well over 2.912 million bales so far compared to 2 to 2.2 million bales in previous years.

Cotton crop being semi-drought plant has managed to produce better results during last so many drought years in the country. Besides, better control over expired pesticides' sales and timely use of fertilizer with no adverse climatic changes help produce bumper crop for the country.

Punjab had produced over 11.104 million bales up to Feb 1, 2005 and was expected to produce more which may take the total around 12 million bales. The number of ginneries still operating in both Sindh and Punjab gave strong indication that much more cotton was on its way.

"In Punjab 822 ginneries are still operating while in Sindh 165 units. This means that the third picking will continue to produce sizeable quantity of cotton in coming weeks."

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has so far procured around 1.566 million bales and private exporters around 491.537 bales. However, the textile industry has lifted over 10.635 million bales. According to analysts the industry's cotton requirement will go above 13 million bales and even then sizeable quantity will remain for exporters.

However, they suggest that the government should keep buffer stocks in order to meet any shortage in coming years or due to crop failure. Presently the unsold stocks lying with ginneries stand at around 1.442 million bales.