Labour problems and the economics of introducing mechanical cotton pickers in the Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Cotton, the most important export crop of Pakistan, showed a tremendous increase in yield and production during the 1980s. With the doubling of production, the problem of the availability of the labour for picking has also intensified. This has stimulated cotton growers to look for alternative ways of cotton picking. This study was undertaken to measure the labour shortages and wages in cotton picking and to assess the economic feasibility of introducing mechanical pickers in Pakistan. a The study is based on a survey of cotton growers and picking labourers in four major cotton growing tehsils of Southern Punjab. In all, 125 farmers and 125 labourers were interviewed from 25 villages, i.e five cotton growers and five leaders of the groups of women picking cotton were interviewed from each village. The estimated cost of imported mechanical pickers was used for calculating private and social costs of cotton picking.