Conversion of CCRI Multan land into gymkhana club: APTMA urges Punjab govt to reconsider proposal

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has urged the Punjab government to reconsider the reported proposal to convert the land of the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan into a Gymkhana club, terming the move detrimental to the country’s struggling cotton sector.

In a letter addressed to the chief minister, Punjab, the APTMA has appreciated the provincial government’s continued focus on agriculture, rural development, and economic revival, but expressed serious concern over the proposed repurposing of a key cotton research facility.

The Association noted that CCRI Multan is one of the most important national cotton research institutes operating under the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), established through an Act and funded by cotton cess contributed by the textile industry. The cess, it emphasised, is meant exclusively for research, development, innovation, seed improvement, pest management, and revival of the cotton economy, not for non-agricultural or recreational purposes.

Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the APTMA stated that Pakistan’s cotton production has declined sharply from around 14 million bales to nearly 5 million bales in recent years. This shortfall has forced the country to import millions of bales annually, putting pressure on foreign exchange reserves and adversely affecting the national economy, textile exports, and rural livelihoods.

“At such a critical juncture, converting the land of a strategic cotton research institution into a club would send a negative signal to the agriculture and textile sectors and further weaken already strained research efforts,” the association warned.

The APTMA also referred to the recent decision of the Cabinet Committee on Essential Crops, chaired by the deputy prime minister, which approved the establishment of a “Pakistan Cotton Board” aimed at reviving the sector through strengthened research, improved governance, and better utilisation of cotton cess.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026