Farmers urge government to cut input costs amid cotton, mango crisis

HYDERABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Jul, 2026) A meeting of Sindh Abadgar Board was held in Hyderabad, which discussed the declining prices of cotton, the debacle in mangoes and rising prices of inputs.

The growers showed their concern about the declining trend in the price of cotton when the local harvesting started. They said that the seed cotton rate has declined from Rs 11,500 per 40 KG to less than Rs 7,900 now in just the last month or so. This has happened when cotton picking has not even reached its peak. It was therefore feared that as the cotton arrivals increase, the cotton price would decline further.

According to a statement, during the meeting, the growers also pointed out the mango season of 2026, which is perhaps one of the worst seasons in the last decade and a half. Mangoes were first affected by severe attacks of hoppers, thrips and malformation. Due to these unprecedented attacks, instead of the usual one or two sprays, the farmers sprayed more than five times in certain areas, but without any substantial result, and production was reduced substantially.

Resultantly, the cost of production increased, and the prices of mangoes were suppressed compared to last year.

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All this has led to severe losses for mango producers. The farmers in some areas are already thinking of cutting down the trees.

The meeting was of the view that the production needs to be backed by research and development to guide farmers to face challenges in production. The old production methods need to change, and the old layouts of a few large, unmanageable trees need to change.

The meeting urged the government to take cognizance of the rising input costs. The prices of fertilizers and other inputs have been rising for the last three years, and on the pretext of war, the prices increased further.

The meeting demanded that the prices of inputs be rationalized and reduced to at least lower the cost of production for the new crops.

The meeting of the board was presided over by Mahmood Nawaz Shah and attended by Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani, Syed Nadeem Shah, Malook Nizamani, Aslam Mari, Imran Bozdar, Syed Hussain Shah, Mustafa Nawaz Shah, Ameer Ali Thebo, Murad Ali Shah Bukerai and others.