The newly-elected Chairman of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA), Haji Hafeez Anwar, has urged the government to safeguard the interest of growers and ginners to help stabilise the country's economy. He also demanded to fix the support price of "Phutti" (raw cotton) and ginned cotton, withdraw sales tax on oil-cake (Khal) and bring the oil mills sector into tax-net.
He was speaking at the Annual General Meeting of PCGA after assuming the charge of his office here on Sunday.
He said that only 873 joint units of cotton ginning and oil-mills are already registered with the government, while more than 5000 oil mills are not registered. He suggested that government should impose fixed tax on them at the rate of Rs.20000, per expeller.
In his maiden speech, the PCGA chairman said that Cotton Seed Control Act should be amended and exemplary punishment be awarded to the mafia involved in supply of spurious, sub-standard and less germinated seeds so as to save future of agricultural economy.
He said that government should accept the fixed tax proposal on oil-cake and subsidy must be provided to the farmers on the pattern of United States, China and India. "PCGA wants documented economic regime, but government should not target a particular sector," he said, adding that the PCGA should be given due representation in government committees.
Referring to the PCGA's unanimously adopted resolution whereby APTMA has been asked to resolve all disputes with ginners and clear dues without any further delay, Anwar said that ginning industry was facing different challenges as the cotton prices had tumbled sharply.
He said that PCGA has emerged as an effective cotton organisation at national and international level.
Senior Vice Chairman of PCGA, Ramesh Lal, said that TCP would not be involved in cotton purchase.
He said that government should not to allow import of cotton from different countries before consuming local stock. He said that billions of dollars would be wasted on the import of cotton if any decision was taken in haste.
At the outset, he assured that all trade and business problems would be resolved with the consent of Central Executive Committee and senior members of the PCGA.
Vice Chairman of PCGA, Rao Sadaruddin, said the government should announce a viable cotton policy for next five years after consulting the same with ginners and growers.
The out-going chairman of PCGA, Mukhtar Ahmed Baloch, said that with a view to facilitating ginners he had set up new offices of PCGA in Islamabad, Lahore and Sindh. He said that PCGA had already established its offices in Bahawalpur and Chichawatni, while a rest house was built in Multan's PCGA office.
FPCCI's vice president, Mian Mehmood Ahmed, Shehzad Ali Khan, Sheikh Aasim Saeed, Rana Abdul Sattar, Haji Muhammad Ibrahim, Duleep Kumar, Suhail Mehmood Haral in their speeches suggested that minimum cotton price be fixed at Rs6000, per maund and Phutti at Rs3000, per maund. Former Chairman also awarded shields among his team members. Earlier, PCGA approved the appointment of Muhammad Asif Khalil as Secretary General.