Cotton, linen and silk are textiles associated with fashion and fashion capitals of the world, such as Paris, Milan, London and New York. Some of those textiles popular with designers are produced in Pakistan, where the textile industry contributes 8.5 per cent to the gross domestic product and accounts for 60 per cent of the country’s exports. But climate extremes such as heat waves and increasing temperatures have been impacting the cotton industry, which has seen an unprecedented fall in yields.
The IAEA, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is working with local experts to develop and introduce new varieties of cotton that are more resilient and better adapted to the new climate reality in the country. The new varieties developed now account for 40 percent of all cotton produced, up from just 25 per cent two years ago and from non-existent yield in 2016.
