FPCCI president calls for system for imported cotton seed

LAHORE: Atif Ikram Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), has called for the approval system for imported cotton seed to be placed on a fast track.

The fourth meeting of FPCCI’s Task Force on Agriculture was held at the FPCCI Regional Office in Lahore. The meeting was attended by FPCCI United Business Group (UBG) Patron-in-Chief and former Caretaker Provincial Minister for Agriculture, Industry & Commerce, S M Tanveer; FPCCI Vice President, Zaki Aijaz; Task Force Chairman, Sham Lal Manglani; former President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shehzad Ali Malik; Chairman of the FPCCI Policy Advisory Board, Mian Zahid Hussain President of the Kasur Chamber, Kashif Khokhar; as well as Ijaz Tufail, Akbar Khan, Dr. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Dr. Aslam Yousaf, and Zulfiqar Ali.

During the meeting, all members unanimously demanded that the approval process for imported cotton seed be expedited. It was resolved that FPCCI would raise this matter with Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), and the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) to ensure swift approvals.

Atif Ikram Sheikh noted that such approvals had been granted on a fast track in the past as well, highlighting that cotton seed typically requires a three- to four-year process before reaching the fields.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025