PCGA convenes conference to discuss problems of growers, ginners

Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has announced to convene a national conference to discus the cotton crisis, exploitation of growers and ginners at the hands of textile millers, who caused the loss of Rs 225 billion to agriculture sector. Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani would be invited to attend this conference and listen the problems confronted by the growers and ginners due to the biased role of ministry of textile.
The PCGA has given an ultimatum to the present government to resolve their problems otherwise they would be forced to get the help from the opposition. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Chairman of PCGA Amanullah Qureshi along with former chairmen Haji Muhammad Akram, Mian Saeed Ahmed Qureshi, Suhail Mehmood Haral, Mukhtiar Ahmed Baloch and Shehzad Ali Khan said that commercial banks had provided less amount than the loan-limits sanctioned by the State Bank of Pakistan for the procurement of raw-cotton (Phutti).
He said that the Governor of SBP should frame policy for ginners and force the banks to abide by the debt policy for 2012-13. They reiterated their demand for the announcement of cotton policy 2012-13 at once. Qureshi said that the government should introduce Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) as third buyer in the market to stabilise the price of cotton and to save the farmers from a particular lobby.
He demanded for immediate ban on two newly evolved varieties of FH-114 and B T 121 and farmers be educated not to use these two varieties which are harmful to Pakistan's agricultural economy. He said that if the prime minister got his order regarding procurement of one million bales of cotton through TCP implemented, farmers would have been economically strong and prosperous.
The PCGA chairman alleged that Textile Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin and Federal Secretary Textile Shahid Rasheed opposed the cotton procurement through TCP. He said that farmers would retaliate in forthcoming elections for hitting their interest. He forecast cotton production 18 million bales in next season. He said that the textile minister confessed in a press conference that he had forbidden the cotton procurement through TCP.