MULTAN : Water shortage could damage cotton crop cultivated on 5 million acres against the target of 6 million acres in the Punjab. Agriculture department sources informed that the major reason behind missing the set target was high cost of inputs, issues of wheat sale and scarcity of water for irrigation. Agriculture experts informed that Bt cotton consumes more water as compared to other kinds of cotton. They added that the country could face shortage of cotton bales to meet requirements of local textile industry.
Nearly, 10 million bales of cotton needed for local industry but the said portion of cultivation could produce 8 to 9 million cotton bales.