In an attempt to eliminate child labour and present children with a better future, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) has decided to initiate a child rights project in the cotton farming areas of Khairpur and Ghotki districts in Sindh province of Pakistan.
An Unicef official at the District Commissioner’s office in Ghotki said the main reason behind selecting the two districts for their child rights project was that children of the area are deployed in cotton picking or such other tasks by their parents or other persons due to financial adversities.
The official further informed that Unicef intends to set up temporary schools in the region to impart knowledge to those children who are currently not getting education.
The project would also try to persuade members of union councils in the two districts to admit their children in temporary Unicef schools, he added.
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World cotton area is projected to rise by 7% in 2011/12 to 36 million hectares, the largest in 17 years, in response to record prices in 2010/11. Farmers are expected to expand cotton area in 2011/12 in all producing countries.
World cotton production is projected to increase by 9% to a record exceeding 27 million tons. Rising cotton supplies will feed rising demand in 2011/12. However, although prices are expected to decline from current record levels, it is likely that prices will stay substantially higher than the average of 60 cents per pound that prevailed during the past decade.
Higher prices, and competition from chemical fibers, are expected to limit growth in mill use during 2011/12 to 3% to 25.4 million tons. The largest increases in mill use are projected for India, China, Pakistan and Turkey.
World cotton prices reached new records during February 2011. A limited supply, robust demand and depreciation of U.S dollar may have caused the surge in prices. The very scarce uncommitted supply as of 2011 may provide strong pressure on prices and cause increased volatility through the rest of the season.
The Cotlook A Index reached a record of 233.5 cents per pound on February 18, 2011 and averaged 147 cents per pound during the first seven months of 2010/11 (77.5 cents per pound during 2009/10). The New York futures contract for March 2011 delivery rose from 77 cents per pound on August 2, 2010 to a record of 205 cents per pound on February 28, 2011.
Sustaining cotton’s place in the world requires taking steps to assure that the social, environmental, and economic aspects of cotton production are sustainable in each country.
Mr. Wallace Darnielle, President and CEO of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, presented a report on sustainability of cotton production. Cotton removes the equivalent of about 7 million cars’ carbon dioxide emissions from the air each year through sequestration of carbon into the plant and its products, and it uses less than 3% of all agricultural water consumption globally. Contrary to claims made by some, cotton accounted for 6.8% of world pesticide use in 2008, and cotton production has reduced insecticide active ingredient use by 23% globally since 1996, leading to a 28% decrease in environmental impact.
U.S. cotton manufacturers use 45% less water to grow a kilogram of cotton today than 25 years ago. Conservation tillage has greatly reduced soil erosion. Insecticide applications declined by 50% since 1996, helped by the use of biotechnology and other modern technologies. In Texas, the cotton industry sustains about 25,000 direct jobs, and many more in supporting industries and trades.
All jobs comply with minimum wages and social benefits mandated by local laws. In order to support employment in rural areas globally, production of cotton fibres and other natural fibers should be promoted rather than production of man-made fibers, which are produced in capital-intensive industries dependent on non-renewable resources.
Economic sustainability of cotton production is constrained by farm prices and the costs of production, and demand at the retail level. Biotechnology has improved yields and qualities, but advances in drought and salt tolerance varieties and in nutrient absorption will further improve the economic sustainability of cotton production. On the demand side, promotional efforts of cotton should be upscaled worldwide to improve the economic sustainability of cotton production.
