A meeting of the members of Karachi Cotton Broker's Forum (KCBF) and members of Broker Advisory Committee (BAC) was held on Friday here at Cotton Exchange Building Broker's room.
The meeting was chaired by Chairman Naseem Usman and it discussed the various points and decided to send following proposals to the government for their earliest implementation. The present government urged to include below proposals in the ensuing annual budget/cotton policy.
COTTON AT A GLANCE PROSPEROUS PAKISTAN Cotton is a backbone of the Pakistan's economy. Cotton and allied cotton products accounts for about 65 percent of the country's export earning and add over 10 percent of country's GDP. Cotton farming is also the principal source of raw material for the textile sector. Hundreds of ginners, factories and textile mills in the country heavily depend upon cotton and employing millions of people along the entire cotton value added chain i.e. from weaving to textile and garment export.
Today we do hereby state for consideration of facts and grounds which will be acceptable to the Government because of the fact that the survival and existence of Pakistan is based on its prosperity and not on the basis of one likeness and dislike of other.
We should take our part for save the cotton crops in Pakistan. The Farmers and landlords who after doing hard work in day and night bearing expenses for cotton crops participating their appropriate role for the purpose of making Pakistan a prosperous, it is regretted to state that neither standard seeds nor pure pesticide have been provided to the farmers for cultivation of cotton crops due to which cotton crop has been decreasing year after year since past few years. The reasonable authorities do not take any interest and leave their entire responsibilities in vain and in consequences, fake pesticides and spurious seeds are spreading in the market for which no Proper control has since been made on the part of authorities concerned. In the absence of no such check and balance and action against the grabbers of inordinate provision of seeds and pesticides, they are not bothered and afraid about the dire consequence, hence continuously go through their ill-intended plan unabated.
URGENT NEED FOR INCREASING COTTON PRODUCTION In order to achieve the desired results, "the KCBF" urged the government to take initiative the following measures on war footing basis.
A separate Cotton Ministry should be formed to look after the affairs of cotton trade exclusively and with a view to increase production of cotton in the country.
Monitoring of the cotton should be made in district level. It is essential to the boost of cotton industry that the supply of standard certified seed and pure pesticides to the growers should be ensured to achieve the desired results.
The Government should mobilized it's all resources at Federal and Provincial level to bring more area under cotton cultivation, most particularly, in Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and increase yield per acre. The Government should ensure to product and supply of certified cotton seed/BT seed to the growers for cultivation.
Great emphasize should be placed upon the growers to switchover to modern integrated pest management system year after year. The ban should be imposed by the Government on cultivation of paddy/Sugarcane and setting-up of sugar mills in the areas already earmarked for cultivation of cotton. All the Cotton Research institutes should be geared-up to evolve Virus resistance cotton seed varieties for cultivation and combat with the problems of CLCV. Necessary arrangements should be made to import pure and certified pesticides in small packing instead of bulk as large quantity of cotton was continue to be destroyed every year due to supply of adulterated pesticides to the growers.
The government should emphasize upon all the stakeholders including the growers and the ginners to switchover to modern farming and ginning practices year after year to achieve the desired result.
The land of Balochistan is very appropriate for cultivation of crops but unfortunately no attention has since been made nor attempted initiatives for utilization of incentives in Balochistan to upgrade boost export of Pakistan through cotton crops. If do so, the Balochistan will also participate its role in line with the provinces of Sindh and Punjab for prosperous economy.
For development and knowledge to farmers and landlords, seminars at different topics and levels should be organized in district level. At present we are generating cotton crops 8.5 million whereas the local consumption level is 15 million, the shortfall of 6.5 million are meeting by import of cotton from abroad need is to be arisen to make it convenient to take bold steps increase cotton production in the country on war footing bases and avoid import of cotton in the national interest.-PR
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