Pakistan is the sixth-largest producer of cotton in the world. It also has the third-largest cotton spinning capacity in Asia, with thousands of ginning and spinning units producing textile products from cotton.
As of the 2021-22 season, Pakistan is the third-largest producer of Better Cotton globally. We launched a Better Cotton program in Pakistan in 2009 to help the country’s rapidly developing cotton industry grow cotton more sustainably and improve the livelihoods of the approximately 1.5 million smallholder farmers who rely on cotton for a living. As the country moves away from sugar production in anticipation of water-scarce conditions caused by climate change, more farmers are growing cotton since it is naturally more drought-resistant. Together with our partners, we are supporting more of these farmers to become Better Cotton Farmers.
Better Cotton Program Partners bring women together so that female Better Cotton Farmers can share their experiences. Through these events, they promote the message that women should be able to fulfil their dreams, and explain that as a Better Cotton Farmer, they can access the tools, knowledge and opportunities they need to succeed.