Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) has strongly urged the government to give cotton grower a confidence by announcing support price for seed-cotton at Rs 4000/- per 40 kg in order to achieve 15 million bales target well ahead of cotton sowing season. Prime Minister, Imran Khan should hold the hands of the farmers and grower will make the Pakistan prosper and green with their sweat and blood,' said PKI President Khalid Khokhar in a statement issued here on Thursday.
Higher input cost of cotton production in Pakistan comparing to other countries of the world, lenient import policy without duty and from the land routs putting lots of pressure of local cotton prices. Even International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) declared cost of production in Pakistan higher than India, Turkey, Tanzania, Argentina, Australia Brazil etc, he added.
Import from such countries without duty hurts the local prices and reduce growers profitability, which ultimately influence the growers' choice for planting other crops instead of cotton. Secondly since Textile Industry is the only buyer of cotton in Pakistan, it monopolize the market and suppress the prices far below than international prices. In these circumstances, it is very imperative to pay the support prices of cotton in order to secure grower profitability, which is widely practiced in the neighbour country for over 27 crops including cotton, very effectively.
Pro-industry policies of the past Government about cotton import, illegal import from the land route and non-provision of support price, resulted in over 30pc reduction of cotton area.