Cotton Seminar in Islamabad opened the eyes of Bureaucracy beating the drug of "all is well"

 
The Cotton Seminar organised by PCGA in Islamabad has opened the eyes of ministries of Textile and Food Security & Reserach who were beating the drum of "Sab Accha Hai" and hoodwinking the masses and other stake holders. PCGA  chairman Dr.Jassu Mal who is practical man clearly state ," Mere lip service can't change the situation," There is dire need of prohibition of other crops in Cotton core areas and giving attractive incentives to cotton growers to bring them back to this cash crop. Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi disclosed that Pakistan had formed a working group with China to attain modern technology so that target of production could be achieved.Speaking at a seminar organised by Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) and chaired by Dr.Jassu Mal its chairman,to discuss the issues and challenges faced by the cotton farmers and the measures being taken to enhance productivity for economic development of the country He stressed the need for taking steps on war footing to bring back the era when we have produced 15 million bales .Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam who is the only agriculturists voice in federal cabinet said that  we would have to bring all cotton stake holders on one page to get better results .He said that government would provide subsidised seed for cotton growers to revive and enhance production of the major crop of Pakistan. Syed Fakhar Imam highlighted that cotton was one of the most important crops in the country, which contributed around 19.03% to the gross domestic product (GDP).

He stressed the need for crop zoning in an effort to stop farmers from switching to other crops, which would be beneficial for development of the agriculture sector and economic growth of the country.

The minister was of the view that the declining output of cotton for the past many years was a matter of concern that required serious attention to arrest the decline and spur the country’s economic growth.

Shedding light on the challenges, Imam said unavailability of high-yielding, certified hybrid seed varieties was the main hurdle in the way of increasing output, besides provision of pesticides to control pest attacks, which every year destroyed standing crops over millions of acres.He emphasised that the increase in cotton harvest was vital for achieving economic growth and social prosperity. “To tap the crop’s true potential, the use of hybrid varieties is a must.” The minister underlined the need for revamping seed production technologies to enhance per-acre crop output and maximise the income of farmers. It would also enable the country to compete in international markets as well as meet raw material needs of the industry, PCGA Chairman Dr.Jassu Mal threw light at length on the current situation.He said that the continued and massive decline in the output of cotton crop is posing serious threat to the country’s textile exports.He said that Pakistan was the fourth largest producer of cotton in the world however cotton production in the country has declined to a lowest level due to inconsistent policies.

“The cotton cultivation area has witnessed over 33 percent decline during the last few years and the cotton crop has come down to its lowest level in the last three decades, reaching 0.5 million bales from 1.5 million cotton bales,” he added.

He also informed that currently over 60 percent of ginning industry is completely closed due to lower cotton production in the country.

He said that the massive decline in production is a complete failure of government policies and lake of concentration to the cotton crop. “If the government does not take serious steps for increase in cotton crop, Pakistan will be completely deprived of cotton cultivation and accordingly textile exports,” he warned.

He demanded the federal and provincial governments to take serious notice of the worrisome situation in agriculture sector. “The government should formulate a special policy to modernize the cotton industry,” he suggested. The decline in cotton crop has not only affected cotton growers but also cotton ginners, spinning weaving industries, textile and export sectors. Chairman PCGA urged the federal and provincial government to take serious on the massive decline in the cotton crop to save the country’s textile industry.

“The government should set up a Cotton Control Board on an emergency basis and set a target of 20 million cotton bales. Cotton crop zoning must be implemented in its true spirit,” he suggested.

Jassu Mal said that the government should also announce the cotton support price before the start of the cotton season to encourage the growers for cultivation of cotton crop.

In addition, new verities of cotton should be introduced to get more crop yield. PCGA chairman also urged for facilities like textile sector and concessional power tariff for ginning factories. He said that due to the low level of cotton production, a total some 8 billion would be imported to meet the domestic industry demand and it will cost 3 billion dollar foreign exchange. India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Sudan and other countries have surpassed Pakistan by supporting and modernizing their cotton industry, while Pakistan is still relying on old technology, he maintained.The Seminar was also addreseed by Malik Muhammad Amer Dogar, Special Assistant to PM on politics, Khalid Khokhar Chairman Kissan Ittehad, Riaz Fatiana, Haji Muhammad Akram Chairman of Ginners group, Suhail Mehmood Haral ,Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, Asif Khalil Sajid Mehdi,Mian Shafiq Arain,Riaz Mazari and Muhammad Ali. (Cotton Arrival)

Seed cotton (Phutti) equivalent to over 5.5 million or exactly 5,571,666 bales have reached ginning factories across the country till February 1, 2021, registering a 34.35 per cent shortfall compared to corresponding period of last year when arrivals were recorded over 8.4 million bales. According to a fortnightly report of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) released on Wednesday, over 5.5 million or 5,525,948 bales have undergone the ginning process i.e converted into bales. Cotton arrivals in Punjab were recorded at 3.4 million or 3,436,731 bales, registering a shortfall of 31.46pc as compared to corresponding period of last year. Sindh generated just over 2.1 million or 2,134,935 bales, registering a shortfall of 38.53pc as compared to corresponding period of last year. Bahawalnagar district of Punjab topped with cotton arrival figure of 9,67,316 bales followed by Sanghar district with 791,278 bales. Exactly 4,54,764 cotton bales unsold stock was present at ginning factories.