The U. S. Department of Agriculture indicated that approximately 1.2 pounds of insecticides and 2.1 pounds of herbicides are applied to each acre of cotton. Each acre produces 800 pounds of cotton, that apparently means around 0.09 ounces of total pesticides per pound of cotton are applied in U. S. The developed technology used reduces the number of pesticide applications. Incentives are given to farmers to use fewer chemicals. Moreover, cotton is regulated as food crop by the Food and Drug Administration in U. S. A. This indicates that cotton is grown like other major food crop. The development had also been made in the consumption of water, and U. S. farmers use 45 % less water to grow a pound of cotton relative to the amount used 25 years ago.

A more recent idea to overcome the pesticide hazards and water shortage in cotton crop is to explore insect- resistant and drought resistant varieties. Yield enhancement and conservation of tillage practices (less plowing of soil) result in reduced erosion and runoff.

However, the situation of U.S. cotton crop in terms of hazard prevention to environment and animal lives would not have a direct comparison with a developing country where the standard practices at several stages of cotton production are significantly cynical to standard norms.

In a developing country where value- chain of cotton had evolved over the past several years, the concept of higher value- addition (smart textile) bears valid attraction for future exploration in terms of enhancing the export earning and strengthening the economy. The idea of producing limited bales of cotton with higher value- addition may generate more revenue than an increased number of bales of cotton having reduced value, and more importantly at the cost of risks to environment and human lives. Inviting hazards to workers, community and environment or stepping in advanced value- addition research and industrial production we need to prefer one for the next two decades i.e. future 2025.

References

Cotton future trends, Lawrence H. Shaw, 28th Annual Congress of the Commercial Cotton Growers of Zimbabwe, Nyanga, Zimbabwe, June 5, 1996.

Controversy surrounds EPA review of pesticides at home page http//www.forbes.com, accessed September 2006.

U.S. Cotton & the Environment: A Proven Track Record, Cotton Incorporated, U.S.A.

Problems with conventional cotton production, Pesticide Action Network North America, home page http://www.paana.org, accessed August 2006.

Cotton- the crop and its pesticides market, PAN UK, home page, http://www.pan-uk.org, accessed August 2006.

Cotton has comparative advantage in WTO regime, Sofia Anwar, Zakir Hussain, Pakissan.com, home page http://www.pakissan.com, accessed August 2006.

Environment hazards of pesticides, M. Saleem, M. Arshad, Dawn Economic and Business Review, March 13, 2006.

News Channel, Pakissan.com, home page, http://www.pakissan.com, accessed August 2006. Toxicity of insecticides, National Pak, home page, http://www.nationalpak.com, accessed August 2006.

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