Cotton boll harvest has begun in the northern Golestan Province’s rain-fed plantations and that of irrigated fields will begin in the next few days.
A total of around 60,000 tons of refined cotton are estimated to be produced in the country during the current Iranian year (March 2021-22), according to the CEO of Iran Cotton Fund.
“The figure shows a decline compared with last year’s production due to the drought this year, which has also led to an increase in the pest population afflicting cotton plantations across the country. What’s making matters worse is that the quality of pesticides sold in the market this year is unacceptably low, which has further curbed the production levels,” Mohammad Hossein Kaviyani was also quoted as saying by the Young Journalists Club,
The official noted that domestic demand for refined cotton is increasing annually and currently exceeds 150,000 tons per annum.
“Last year, more than 77,000 tons of cotton were imported. But given the decline in production, the government needs to import around 100,000 tons this year. This is while during the first three months of the current fiscal year [March 21-June 21], only 20,000 tons of the product were imported and now our textile industries are facing a scarcity of raw material,” he said.
Kaviyani stressed that no import has been made over the past two months, but foreign purchases are expected to resume from mid-September.
Manager of Cotton Project implemented by the Agriculture Ministry said in July that some 90,000 hectares went under cotton cultivation this year, down from last year’s 98,000 hectares.
Cotton cultivation season started in late April and officials estimated that up to 115,000 hectares will go under cultivation this year, but given the unexpected and unfavorable weather conditions, only around 80% of this goal materialized.
“Last year, about 270,000 tons of cotton bolls were harvested but 200,000 tons of the product are estimated to be produced in the county by the end of the current year. As such, production will experience a 26% YOY fall,” Ebrahim Hezarjaribi was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
“At present, we have cotton plantations in 20 provinces across the country with Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, South Khorasan, Golestan, Fars and Ardabil being the main hubs. To meet the growing demand, we plan to expand the land under cultivation. As of this summer, Sistan-Baluchestan, and warmer areas in Ilam, Lorestan and Kermanshah have also joined the cotton producing provinces.”
The official noted that last year, domestic demand for cotton bolls, stood close to 360,000 tons while estimates are that this year, the figure will increase to at least 450,000 tons.
“Domestic demand for refined cotton has been estimated to increase by 150,000 tons this year. Local textile industries say they will need 200,000 tons of cotton over the next few years to meet growing demands,” he added.
Hezarjaribi said the Agriculture Ministry plans to achieve self-sufficiency in cotton production by 2025.
