National Organic Cotton Policy Gap Analysis
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Public Document National Organic Cotton Policy Gap Analysis Babar Latif Baloch, Project Officer, Policy Ashfaque Ahmed Nahiyoon, Project Manager Abdul Rehman, Deputy Director, Programme Mohsin Zulqarnain Hussain, Project Officer, Seed Dev. September 2020 KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE National Organic Cotton Policy Gap Analysis This report is the Copyright of CAB International, on behalf of the sponsors of this work where appropriate. It presents unpublished research findings, which should not be used or quoted without written agreement from CAB International. Unless specifically agreed otherwise in writing, all information herein should be treated as confidential. Contents Executive summary ............................................................................................................... 5 Objectives of the gap analysis ........................................................................................... 6 Gap analysis approach ...................................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 8 Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................ 9 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 11 The Organic Cotton Production Initiative in Balochistan ...................................................... 12 Review of existing policy documents (1923–2020) .............................................................. 12 Seed company regulations .............................................................................................. 14 Biosafety rules and guidelines for seed ........................................................................... 14 List of organizations for developing bioproducts .................................................................. 15 Agriculture loan disbursement ............................................................................................. 15 List of stakeholders ............................................................................................................. 16 Organic cotton hotspots in Pakistan .................................................................................... 21 Availability of non-GMO cotton varieties in Pakistan............................................................ 22 Cottonseed availability in Pakistan ...................................................................................... 23 Cottonseed quality assurance ............................................................................................. 23 Action needed .............................................................................................................. 23 Stakeholders who may resist the promotion of organic cotton in the country ....................... 24 Seed companies in Pakistan ........................................................................................... 24 List of fertilizer market players in Pakistan ....................................................................... 24 Stakeholders for the Working Group on Policy Working ...................................................... 25 Key responsibilities of the Working Group ....................................................................... 25 Potential seed companies working with cottonseed production in Pakistan ......................... 26 ICT and gender development through organic cotton in Balochistan ................................... 26 Stakeholders stance on organic cotton policy ..................................................................... 26 MNFS&R Pakistan........................................................................................................... 26 PARC and NIGAB ........................................................................................................... 26 API .................................................................................................................................. 27 CCRI Multan .................................................................................................................... 28 Department of Agriculture Research Balochistan ............................................................ 28 DAE Balochistan ............................................................................................................. 28 NIAB ................................................................................................................................ 29 AARI ................................................................................................................................ 29 DAE Sindh ....................................................................................................................... 30 PCSI Karachi ................................................................................................................... 30 Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) (Progressive Farmers’ Organization) .................................. 31 Kauns Seed Corporation (KSC), Sindh ............................................................................ 31 Tassco Seed Corporation (TSC)...................................................................................... 31 Findings from the gap analysis ............................................................................................ 32 Recommendations .............................................................................................................. 32 References ......................................................................................................................... 34 Appendix ............................................................................................................................. 36 Questions from the GAP analysis questionnaire .............................................................. 36 Executive summary Pakistan is the fourth largest cotton producer and the third largest cotton consumer in the world. The cotton crop is the mainstay of its economy. Last year, the production of cotton was reduced due to multiple factors. Two particularly important factors affecting cotton production and its quality are the indiscriminate use of pesticides, leading to insect resistance/pressure, and the use of chemical fertilizers, which deteriorate the quality of the soil. Of the total pesticides sprayed, 80% are used on cotton crops (Qamar et al. 2008, p. 137). Cotton growers use more pesticides by increasing the number of sprays/dosages, which they believe increases crop production; however, these poor preventive measures not only damage the crops but also put farming communities, including women and children, at risk. Organic cotton is a commodity that can be produced and certified to organic agricultural standards. Its production sustains the health of soils, ecosystems, and people by using natural processes rather than artificial inputs. CABI, under the Cotton Advocacy for Policy and Seed (CAPAS) Project, conducted a gap analysis to review the gaps in existing policies, documents, and frameworks, and to suggest a way forward for the government with the engagement of relevant stakeholders for the promotion of organic cotton in a country. The analysis found that farming communities are excited to produce profitable organic cotton, but that they need support from government in overcoming the obstacles in the way of the production of organic cotton in the country. Most importantly, government at the provincial and federal level should focus on the development of organic agriculture, especially organic cotton policy, with the engagement of the relevant stakeholders. There is also a need to establish seed multiplication through the Organic Cotton (ORCO) Hub and Breeding Programme with a focus on immediate, medium-term, and long-term approaches, engaging the seed research institutes, seed companies, the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD), farming communities, etc. Seed quality assurance at farmer, field, and market level is needed to ensure non-genetically modified organism (GMO) seed availability. There is great potential to produce organic cottonseed, especially in the hotspots/virgin lands of Balochistan, Sindh, and Punjab. The Government of Balochistan is already implementing the organic cotton project in the Barkhan and Lasbela districts with funding from the Laudes Foundation. There is a need to establish a National Certification and Laboratory Testing System to support the farmers for the certification and testing of samples, with subsidization from the government. The supply chain of organic inputs such as biopesticides, biofertilizers, etc, urgently needs so be developed in the organic producing areas of the country for the production of organic cotton on a sustainable way. An ethnobotanical survey of the hotspots of the organic cotton growing area may help identify local plant varieties that can be used as biopesticides and help develop a new supply chain for medicinal plants and their products for the income generation and livelihood improvement of farmers. The analysis found that the organic cotton marketing system is weak in the organic cotton growing regions: government needs to formulate policy agenda for developing the cotton industry or supply chain, as well as to deliver monetary benefits