Growers and industrialists have appealed the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet to revisit the decision of turning the down support price of cotton. The stakeholders said growers in upper Sindh and Punjab were considering sowing other cash crops instead of cotton, as they were not receiving the due rates. Cotton sowing in lower parts of Sindh was almost complete.
Khalid Khokhar, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President criticized the decision of the ECC, and said the industry had won against the growers in this decision. May 7 proved as a black day for the cotton growers, he added. Since 2010, cotton cultivation area has declined by 20 percent in the country, while corn and sugarcane production have increased instead of cotton.
Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) has not announced cotton production target in the country and growers were hopeful it would make the announcement in the next meeting.
Ahmad Jawad, Former Chairman, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Standing Committee on Agriculture said turning down the summary of the Ministry of National Food Security by the ECC was unjustified regarding support price of cotton. He said the demand was essential at this point to promote the crop so that import could be discouraged.
In 2019, Pakistan imported cotton worth $831.78 million according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.
“On May 7, 2020, ECC rejected a proposal of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research in which intervention price of seed cotton (Phutti) was proposed at Rs4,224 per mound.”
Jawad said farmers would not grow cotton if there were no incentives. It was a provincial subject, he conceded; however, right now the country needed good cotton production, for which growers should be encouraged to cultivate. This would also ensure prompt supply to the textile industry, and promote the concept of Made in Pakistan.
He pointed out that the world had learned from this pandemic that food security and agriculture were important, but Pakistanis were yet to understand sustainability.
Jawad also stated that the adviser to PM on commerce should understand that revival of textile exports could not be achieved with the current quantity and quality of cotton produced in Pakistan.
