LAHORE, PAKISTAN – A fresh controversy has erupted over Punjab’s cotton production data, as two leading sources present starkly different figures—leaving policymakers and industry insiders puzzled.
The Crop Reporting Centre (CRC) Punjab estimates that the province has produced 335,000 bales of cotton by July 15, based on yield projections from selected field plots. In contrast, the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has reported just 145,000 bales—a gap of 190,000 bales.
Critics, including Ihsan-ul-Haq, Chairman of the Cotton Ginners Forum, have questioned the accuracy of CRC’s data, calling it misleading and potentially harmful to planning and market expectations. However, CRC officials defend their sampling methodology, noting that PCGA’s factory-based figures may not account for under-invoicing and delayed reporting.
The widening gap has raised concerns about the credibility of agricultural reporting and the need for a unified system to ensure data transparency and trust across Pakistan’s cotton economy.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.