Increased cotton acreage, per hectare yields and inconvenient government policies have taken a heavy impact on the production of cotton. According to the Pakistan Central cotton crop in pakistan Committee's (PCCC's) report, the cotton production target has been missed by 15% for the year 2018. The table below shows the cotton production area, as well as the targets and results for the 2017-18 year. In the past five years, the cotton production has declined from 13.86 million bales 11.98 million bales. It has seen the loss of 14pc, which has caused a loss of Rs 535 billion (almost 2-percent of the total GDP) to the economy. Additionally, as the sowing of cotton crop 2018-19 is in progress only 48 percent of the crop has been sown within Sindh against the target for 0.62 million hectares. In contrast, Punjab has sown 95 percent of the goal (2.31 million hectares) till June. Total sowing of country stands at 2.494 million hectares. This is a decrease of 8.8pc over the last five years. The main cause for the decrease in cotton production is the lower yield per hectare (further diminished by 6.2pc in the past five years) and leaves Pakistan with no choice but to import cotton to meet the domestic demand. Under these conditions when cotton imports are the last option to meet excessive demand, the 11pc duty is likely to make the situation worse and will leave Pakistan globally uncompetitive. In addition to the custom duties that are high, the government is also targeting the textile sector with non-tariff restrictions (NTB).As as per NTB restrictions, importers of textiles are not allowed to import cotton more than one permit. This will increase the costs of input. This will directly affect the exports of garments and textiles, 75pc of which are cotton based. Alongside the lower yield many other mutually reinforcing factors have also impacted the cotton production. In particular, the better returns on sugarcane because of special incentive programs offered to the sugar industry by government, has ultimately disappointed cotton farmers. So they shifted from cotton farming to sugarcane. This led to a 15 percent increase in sugarcane acreage , as well as a dramatic decrease in cotton acreage. Alongside administrative and technical issues, climate change and irregular rainfall is also creating more fuel for the fire. Farmers also blame widespread utilization of genetically modified Bt. The seeds and seeds mafia and water shortages are the reason for the low production of cotton. Farmers have claimed that Seed mafias are posing significant danger to the cotton by selling fake Bt. seeds which lead to a loss of 2-3 millions of cotton bales each year. The low level of toxin (0.2-0.6 per grams) in the fake seeds and outdated Bt. technology is no longer effective against severe cotton diseases like bollworms of cotton and other insects. The scarcity of water has also played an essential role in the decrease of the production of cotton. The farmers are concerned that because of severe water shortage the production of cotton may decline by 35-40 percent further when compared to the year before. In addition to the energy and water crisis, the enormous growth in gas, water, fuel and electricity costs have also impacted amount of cotton produced per square meter. In addition to the drop in production, the quality of the cotton is also deteriorating. Fake Bt. seeds with low levels and contamination are negatively impacting the quality and production of cotton. In contrast to the international standard for 2.5g/bales, Pakistan produces highly polluted cotton that has an average of 18g/bale of contamination which causes a monetary loss in the range of $1.4 billion annually. Apart from these, low Investment in cotton research is cause for concern. Pakistan's investment on Cotton R&D is lower than other countries. It is financed by cotton cess that is collected by PCCC that has already dropped by 53pc compared to last year, leading to a further reduction in the amount of cotton R&D. This decline in cotton R&D should be revised in order to assure the sustainability of the cotton industry in Pakistan. To protect the cotton industry from further downfall prudent policies are required. The cost of cotton inputs should be reduced and a new version of Bt. technology seeds should be provided to farmers. Alongside new and updated technology, better quality seeds should be available to farmers. It is also recommended to determine the viability of cotton cultivation in newly available arable areas e.g. those in Baluchistan in Baluchistan and KPK. Moreover, a proper lands reform program can be implemented to increase the number of crops essential to the development in the economic development. In the meantime, to ensure the protection of the textile industry which is the major contributor to our economy, all duties and non-tariff barriers on cotton should be removed until such time that the production of cotton can meet the demand. In order to improve the quality of cotton, campaign and awareness programs should be initiated to train farmers on proper selection and storage practices, as well as the supply of cotton. Ginning should be modernized and improved to ensure that it meets international standards.