Pakistan Cotton Ginners'' Association (PCGA) has stressed the need for imposing a complete ban on the import of cotton and cotton yarn from India till the end of cotton season and disposal of one million bales lying in ginneries as unsold stock.
Talking to newsmen, PCGA''s chairman Shehzad Ali Khan, group chairman Haji Muhammad Akram and Suhail Mehmood Haral said that the textile sector was, on the one hand, purchasing local cotton at throw away prices and, on the other hand, importing cotton/yarn from India at higher rates and as such it amounted to injustice to Pakistani farmers who had incurred a loss of more than Rs200 billion.
They said that the cotton crisis 2015-16 had broken the back of farmers as well as ginners and both are facing serious economic stress.
Reiterating the demand that the government should announce a bailout package for ginning industry, Shehzad Ali Khan suggested that government should launch a vigorous drive under the slogan of "Sow the Cotton-Save the Economy" and take measures on war-footing basis to achieve the target of 20 million bales and hoped that chief ministers of Punjab and Sindh would take interest in getting achieved the targets.
He demanded of APTMA to ensure payment of ginners'' outstanding dues as early as possible, besides developing a relation of good buyer with ginners.
He also sought an immediate direction for the correction of electricity''s January bills in accordance with the prime minister''s announcement of Rs3 reduction in industrial tariff which was followed by a notification of Ministry of Water and Power issued on the February 4.
He also urged the government to involve the PCGA and other stakeholders in formulating National Cotton Policy which, he added, should cover all aspects of cotton trade, including fixation of support price, target of production and grant of permission for the import of cotton.
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