ISLAMABAD: The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research expressed serious concern over the non-implementation of the support price of cotton.

The meeting was presided over by Senator Syed Muzaffar Hussain. Some members stated despite the support price of cotton being fixed at Rs8,500 per maund, it is being purchased at Rs6,000 to Rs7,000 from the farmers and local landowners.

The chairman committee said that cotton picking starts in Sindh province at the beginning of June. At present, cotton is being purchased from farmers at Rs6,000 to Rs7,000.

The government should instruct the TCP to ensure the implementation of the support price fixed by the government, he added.

He said that if support price is not implemented, people will start cultivating other crops instead of cotton next year, the committee noted.

Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema stated that cotton was purchased according to the support price of the government until the end of June. We informed the prime minister in July 12 about the decrease in the market price and sent a summary of one billion bales, which was also advertised, he added.

On which the chairman committee said that 70 percent of the production from local farmers and landowners is taken by June and deplored that the support price was not being implemented.

The chairman committee stated that the ministry should take up the matter with the TCP and inform the committee as soon as possible.

The issue of non-payment of salaries to the employees of the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) for a long time and the issues of cotton with the textile industry during the last five years were reviewed in detail in the committee meeting.

The chairman committee said that the salary of the employees of the PCCC is a big problem and employees are in great trouble. Their problem should be solved as soon as possible, he instructed. The Minister for NFSR said that the employees should get the salary. The cotton cess was not collected; therefore, the salary could not be paid.

He said that employees were paid 30 per cent of their salary on the occasion of Eid. Additional Secretary of the Ministry said that if Rs300 million is received as a loan from the government, the salaries and pension of these employees can be paid. The textile industry is not paying the cotton cess. The committee was told that 326 employees could not be paid due to the non-recovery of cotton cess for the last four years. The committee was told that there were a total of 1,400 employees and the remaining have retired. On which, the members of the committee said that notices should be issued to the textile industries under the Land Revenue Act and recovery should be done

The committee was told that the chief secretary of Punjab and Sindh has also been written in this regard to collect cess from them according to the law. On which, the chairman of the committee said that the standing committee has raised this matter in the last three to four meetings.

The chairman directed that cess must be collected from the textile industry according to the law.

The standing committee expressed dissatisfaction with regard to cotton cess recovery and because of non-recovery the PCCC faced financial problems.

The committee also directed that the Food Ministry must take up the matter with the chief secretaries of the concerned provinces and take steps for recovery of cess as per the law so that the employees’ financial problems are resolved.

Senator Sania Nishtar said that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research should inform the standing committee about controlling the rising prices of food grains in the country. She said that the prices of wheat, sugar, pulses, and other food items have increased significantly and the ministry should give a comprehensive briefing to the committee.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023