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The cotton growers, ginners and spinners in Punjab have joined hands against their Sindhi counterparts not sharing water and gas resources for the growth of cotton economy in Punjab. In a recent tripartite meeting of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma), Pakistan Cotton Ginnres Association (PCGA) and Farmers Associates Pakistan (FAP), it was resolved to constitute Pakistan Cotton Forum to protect the Punjab cotton economy with a larger scope of co-operation.
Sources said the effort is made after imposition of quota on exports of cotton yarn by the Ministry of Textile, primarily on the pressure of apparel sector. This step was taken as a distortion of the free market mechanism by the cotton growers, ginners and spinners in Punjab, therefore, the constitution of Pakistan Cotton Forum.
The participants of the meeting on the concept at the Aptma Punjab office spoke their heart out loudly and pointed out that Punjab, being elder brother, was given a sole responsibility of suffer for the welfare of rest of the provinces. According to them, Punjab economy was in a troublesome situation amidst a strong guilt oozing out of repeated protests by the Sindhis and Pakhtoons on construction of Kala Bagh Dam and other projects of national importance.
"Punjab was out of water for agriculture and electricity for industry but rest of the provinces, particularly Sindh was in a quite comfortable situation by simply making hue and cry on construction of Kala Bagh Dam," said one of the participants. The growers stated that the cotton crop was facing acute shortage of water and fertiliser and the cultivation area has reduced to 60 percent against 85 percent earlier. It is scarcity of water resulting into reduction in cotton production in Punjab, they added.
The growers further said the issues of growers, ginners and spinners may be different but their stake on availability of raw material (cotton) is common. Therefore, both the ginners and the spinners should come forward to help out the growers.
Spinners, on the other hand, said the Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) was not ready to share gas with Punjab spinning industry, which is a sheer negation to the federal notification issued by the Ministry of Petroleum to this effect. According to them, Punjab was providing electricity to Sindh without any disruption but Sindh was not ready to share gas with Punjab textile industry, which is facing gas load shedding even in summer season.
According to the spinners, the government was running away from its role of protecting the rights of value-added sector by simply forcing the spinning industry to extend cross subsidy to apparel sector, which is very unfair. They further added that it is because of the weak lobby of Pakistan's textile industry that both the EU and the US have not extended trade facility to Pakistan.
The ginners said they were ultimate sufferer of the situation, as the spinners were not able to pay them timely due to the production break ups amid unprecedented electricity and gas load shedding. Therefore, they said a joint strategy should be evolved to tackle the awkward situation confronting Punjab's cotton economy.
According to them, they have come forward with an intention to improve national economy instead of fanning mistrust among federating units by simply calling a spade a spade and that's all. They said unity of all three stakeholders of cotton economy is an urgent need of the hour, as 90 percent of the stakeholders are of the same mindset.
The participants said the need for Pakistan Cotton Forum has become more essential in a situation where Punjab cotton economy is short of water, seed, electricity and gas. Furthermore, they said, the Punjab cotton economy was further suppressed with imposition of quota on exports of cotton yarn from the country.
They added that the cotton growers, ginners and spinners in Punjab have suffered heavily during the last 10 years and they would not delay in uniting to protect themselves. However, they dispelled the impression that any such move would lead to provincialism in the country and pointed out that the prime focus of the move is to protect cotton economy of Punjab.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2010

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