National Cotton Policy to be framed with the consultation of all stakeholders including growers and ginners to safeguard their interests because Pakistan may produce more than 17 million bales of cotton in next season, said Amanullah Qureshi Chairman of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) while addressing a press conference here on Sunday.
He said that Farmers have set a record of cotton production this year as 14,548,845 bales have so far been reached ginneries till March 15. Total production would not be less than 15 million bales. He said that Government would have to introduce a mechanism to stabilise the cotton prices and it should not leave the growers as well as ginners at the mercy of Textile millers who had fleeced them in the guise of free trade and WTO norms. Qureshi said that time had proved that all assessments given by the official agencies and departments proved wrong and production figures given by PCGA proved correct. He has demanded of the Government to grant a bailout package for the cotton growers who had incurred a loss of more than Rs 225 billion due to the cartel of textile millers and said that Government should issue order to Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to procure at least 0.7 million bales from the unsold stock of ginners. Chairman of PCGA Amanullah Qureshi said that some elements are exploiting the farmers taking advantage of free trade mechanism.
In fact, they are fleecing the farmers in the guise of international norms of trades. Bureaucracy as well as textile ministry is responsible for the losses of growers who are playing the game for the APTMA. He suggested that Prime Minister should ensure the procurement of at least 0.7 million bales of cotton to stabilise the local market. He asked why the TCP is reluctant to purchase the cotton when it has procured 3.5 lakh tonnes of sugar from the sugar mills. Perhaps sugar mills are owned by some influential people and parliamentarians. He said that Prime Minister has reiterated his stance in Multan on the procurement of cotton through TCP and said that he has issued clear-cut orders for buying one million bales from the ginners. Amanullah Qureshi said that cotton production of 17.5 million is expected in next season. If government neglected this sector, then it would not be possible to achieve the targets of production and farmers would be shifted to other cash produces.