MULTAN: Farmers have expressed concern over lifting of ban on the import of cotton from India by the government.
The growers fear bleak prospects for domestic cotton after the lifting of ban on cotton import and demanded the government ensure procurement of crop from them on reasonable rates. The growers said the government did not fix the support price for cotton, leaving them at the mercy of textile millers, who would procure domestic cotton at their desired rates.
The growers said that they were expecting a bumper crop this year and import from India would destroy the local cotton growers. Pakistan Kisan Ittehad president Khalid Khokhar expressed concern on the import of cotton from India at this stage when the country was expecting a bumper crop this year.
He demanded protection of growers’ financial rights. On the other hand, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association Punjab secretary general Aneesul Haq welcomed the lifting of ban on the import of cotton from India, saying that the country’s cotton production could not meet the textile requirements due to shortfall in its production.
He claimed that the expected cotton production this year was 11 million bales against the textile requirement of 16.5 million bales, leaving a shortfall of 5.5 million bales. All Pakistan Textile Mills Association Multan Convener Khawaja Muhammad Anis said that the textile millers had imported 18,000 cotton bales and more import orders were in the process to meet the shortfall.
The Department of Plant Protection sources said the government had allowed free import after a month when it banned imports of agriculture commodities from India due to the rising tension between the two countries in November last.
They said the department had not issued written orders for banning cotton import from India, but it was suspended in November last. When contacted, Department of Plant Protection PunjabHead Dr Rao Ashfaq Ahmed contradicted ban on cotton import from India. He said that neither import was banned nor suspended from India at any stage. He, however, said that restrictions were imposed on quarantine requirements. He said that not a single ban had been imposed on imports from India in the Punjab. Meanwhile, according to the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association fortnightly report, seed cotton (Phutti) equivalent to over 10,147,941 bales has reached ginneries across Pakistan till December 15, showing an increase of 12.33 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year when ginneries received 9,034,118 bales. The ginneries in the Punjab have recorded arrival of 6,444,847 bales, showing an increase of 19.38 per cent. The Sindh ginneries have recorded arrival of 3,703,094 bales while last year it received 3,635,309. The textile mills have bought 8,451,386 bales while the exporters bought 194,844 bales. The total bales sold out so far are calculated at 8,646,230 bales while 1,501,711 bales are lying as unsold stock. The district-wise cotton production is: Multan 281,687 bales (137.74 per cent increase), Lodhran 181,247 bales (112.87 per cent increase), Khanewal 557,510 bales (49.67 per cent increase), Muzaffargarh 304,949 bales (28.58 per cent increase), Dera Ghazi Khan 326,662 bales (15.37 per cent increase), Rajanpur 330,004 bales (17.33 per cent decrease), Layyah 260,776 bales (9.13 per cent increase), Vehari 366,079 bales (23.56 per cent increase), Sahiwal 202,213 bales (14.11 per cent decrease), Pakpattan 40,803 bales (38.62 per cent decrease), Okara 19,086 bales (13.63 per cent decrease), Toba Tek Singh 151,880 bales, Faisalabad 35,830 bales (25.16 per cent decrease), Jhang 30,102 bales (26.51 per cent decrease), Mianwali 252,538 bales (11.9 per cent decrease), Bhakkar 61,427 bales (20.93 per cent decrease), Sargodha 9,760 bales (12.07 per cent decrease), Rahimyar Khan 1,082,474 bales (6.09 per cent increase), Bahawalpur 915,185 bales (35.08 per cent increase), Bahawalnagar 1,027,406 bales (38.5 per cent increase), Hyderabad 226,665 bales (7.75 per cent decrease), Mirpur Khas (Thar) 269,441 bales (0.77 per cent decrease), Sangarh 1,221,575 bales (7.2 per cent decrease), Nawabshah 320,146 bales (3.83 per cent increase), Naushero Feroze 330,804 bales (19.01 per cent increase), Khairpur 282,108 bales (12.02 per cent increase) Ghotki 294,594 bales (0.22 per cent increase), Sukkur 504,579 bales (22.27 per cent increase), Dadu 41,045 bales (18.97 per cent increase), Jamshoro 110,236 bales (17.12 per cent decrease), Badin 27,027 bales 14.47 per cent decrease) and Balochistan 74,874 bales (32.31 per cent increase). Total 520 ginning factories are operational in the country. Of them, 359 are in the Punjab and 161 in Sindh.
