Cotton lab equipment out of order

The equipment of a cotton fibre quality testing laboratory set up in Rahim Yar Khan at the cost of billions of rupees has been out of order for the past two years. Textile mills operating in the area are facing problems because of a lack of confirmation of cotton quality.

Rahim Yar Khan is renowned for its high-quality cotton production.

A former office bearer of the Pakistan Cotton Yarn Association informed the media that there was only one cotton fibre testing laboratory in the district. Around 120 cotton ginning, power looms and textile mills in the area need to have their quality inspected.



The machinery of the laboratory has malfunctioned, which is the cause of the shutdown. A laboratory official said, a letter was sent to the ministry of agriculture for replacement of the machines when the old equipment broke down, but there has been no word from the government.

Now that the laboratory is nonfunctional the local ginners have to to travel to Sukkur or Bahawalpur, which costs money and time amid rising inflation.



They said even the textile mills and power loom have to do this exercise as they cross-check the claims of the ginners about cotton quality.