The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has asked the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to conduct inquiry into the delay in the procurement of 1,400 cotton bales. Sources told Business Recorder Tuesday that a month ago, the TCP had approached the ministry seeking formal approval to procure some 1,400 cotton bales, samples of which were approved but could not be lifted. In response to this request, the MoC had directed the state-run grain trader to conduct an inquiry into the delay.
Sources said despite confirming to define quality, TCP's Dera Ghazi Khan Procurement Center failed to lift some 1,400 cotton bales of 4 ginning mills as in-charge of cotton procurement center was transferred due to illness and the new head avoided procuring the commodity as reportedly these mills failed to respond in time and presented stocks for lifting after 15 days.
During the cotton procurement process in November last year, some four ginning factories presented 2,100 cotton bales for sale as per government policy. Accordingly, TCP's cotton classer examined the commodity and approved 1,400 bales for procurement. Some 600 bales of Bismillah Cotton Industry Mianwali, 100 bales of Al-Madina Cotton Industry Mianwali, 300 cotton bales of Al-Qayyum Cotton Industries Mianwali and some 400 cotton bales of Punjab Cotton Industries were approved by the classer.
Meanwhile, Anees-ul-Hasan, in-charge cotton procurement center Dera Ghazi Khan has been transferred to Karachi due to illness while Muzaffar Hussain DGM was given charge of procurement center. However, despite cotton classer's approval report for procurement of 1,400 bales, the new in-charge failed to lift cotton bales and instead wrote a letter to the head office seeking formal approval as these mills failed to present stocks in time.
For the time being, TCP completed its procurement process and accordingly sent the entire details of procured cotton to the ministry of commerce without including these pending bales. Later, these mills approached TCP as well as the ministry and requested for lifting of the commodity as they met all the terms and conditions of the procurement process. Therefore, in order to keep the entire procurement process transparent, TCP decided to get formal approval from the ministry to lift these cotton bales from the four ginning factories. Responding to the corporation's request, Ministry of Commerce directed TCP for conducting an inquiry to identify the causes of the delay.
Sources said commerce ministry is likely to allow lifting of these approved cotton bales as it has also written a letter to the ministry of finance for funds to procure pending cotton bales from the ginners. Some Rs 30 million is required to lift these bales, they added.
They said Abdul Ghafoor, General Manager Cotton, TCP has prepared a comprehensive report on the issue and accordingly submitted it to Rizwan Ahmed, Chairman TCP for approval.
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