KARACHI -- Ashraf Bhanbro, a farmer from Pakistan's southern Sindh province, once dedicated vast expanses of his fertile land to cotton cultivation, driven by hope and the promise of reaping profits from a crop central to the nation's textile-dependent economy. However, cotton has been relegated to a last-resort option for Bhanbro.
"I used to plant most of my 5,000 acres with cotton," Bhanbro told Nikkei Asia. "Now, I prioritize sugarcane, wheat or vegetables. I'd rather let the land lie fallow than gamble on cotton again."
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