Pakistan is the only major cotton-producing country to have had such a dramatic loss and its production has fallen by more than 60% in the past decade, said Ehsanul Haq, chairman of the Cotton Ginners Forum.

Haq added in a statement that lax enforcement of agricultural zoning laws, too much sugarcane planting in designated cotton-growing areas and setting up of new sugar mills were the main causes for the fall.

He urged on enforcement of crop zoning restrictions and preventing sugarcane cultivation in cotton belts to bring back local cotton production. He added after efficient execution of the zoning laws, enhancements should be made to cotton research stations and other supporting measures.

Haq further demanded to provide a legal structure to the planned Pakistan Cotton Board under the leadership of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA. He advocated that the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) and its subordinate institutions should be placed under the proposed board.

The reduction in domestic cotton production and quality has created a crisis in the local cotton sector, making Pakistan more dependent on imported cotton and edible oil, putting more pressure on foreign exchange reserves, Haq said.

He claimed the government has failed to come up with a viable strategy to reverse the drop despite a high-level meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar approximately a year ago, which decided to establish a cotton board under the direction of APTMA.

Signs have emerged that the decision has started to be implemented after a year of delay, he said.

The proposed board could include representatives of the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA), the Karachi Cotton Association (KCA), the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), the National Textile Education Council, private seed companies and concerned government institutions.

Haq also called upon the federal and provincial governments to focus the enforcement of crop zoning restrictions and improve the Pakistan Meteorological Department so that it could deliver prompt and accurate weather forecasts to farmers.

“Cotton prices came under pressure last week due to financial difficulties in the sector, limited buying by textile mills, imports of yarn and fabric under the Export Facilitation Scheme and government inspections of cotton ginning factories,” he said.

Cotton prices fell to Rs18,500 from Rs18,500 per maund, a drop of Rs200, Haq said.

He also expressed concern over the reports of financial scandals involving billions of rupees in the yarn market of Faisalabad and millions of rupees in several cotton ginning facilities in Sindh, saying these developments have added to the uncertainty across the sector.

Two persons were killed after a van hit their motorbike near Jhang bypass in Punjab on Sunday, rescue officials said.

Rescue authorities say the accident occurred when the vehicle crashed into the motorcycle, killing both riders at the scene.

The two victims were riding the motorbike toward Faisalabad when the crash took place, officials said.

After getting word about the tragedy, rescue personnel rushed the spot and moved the bodies to a hospital.

No further information was immediately available on the identity of the victims or the events that led to the crash.

A van plunged into a ravine here on Sunday, killing seven people, including women and children, and injuring eight more.

The injured were transferred to Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi for medical treatment where two of them are said to be in serious condition.

“There were 17 people in the van when the driver lost control and it fell in a ditch,” said Nighat Bibi, a woman who survived the tragedy.

The truck fell down the ravine and the explosion of a petrol cylinder caused a fire that caused several casualties.

Some of the victims’ bodies were terribly burnt and had become unrecognisable, Nighat Bibi added.

Rescue and medical teams reached the spot, while the injured are being treated at Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi.