The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has urged the government to
introduce a five-year cotton policy to raise production to 22 million bales and
exports to 3 million bales through crop insurance incentives and quality
premium for farmers. The country’s average cotton production now is 13 million bales,
out of which a million bales are exported.
Drawing attention to the issue of government and private
enterprises failing to supply qualitative, well-germinated and heat- and
virus-resistant seeds to the farmers, PCGA chairman Jeso Mal T Leemani said the
area under cotton crop should be increased to 4.2 million hectares from the
current around 3.2 million hectares. Office bearers of the association recently
addressed a press conference in Multan.
As Pakistan’s cotton fetches a low price in the
international market due to contamination, the new cotton policy should address
that issue apart from setting aside funds for research and development,
capacity-building and infrastructure development, Leemani said. A model cotton trading house should be set up to
minimise the role of middlemen and ginning research and training institutes
should be established in Sindh and Punjab, he added.
Source: Business Recorder, Pakistan Friday, 22 September 2017