The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) and the Cotton Council International, USA, have resolved to boost bilateral cooperation in the area of cotton besides exploring investment opportunities in Pakistan.
A high-profile delegation of Cotton Council International, USA headed by William Bettendorf, Director Cotton USA Supply Chain, Lieven Verraest, Technical Assistant CCI, Brian Dewayne, Cotton Inc, Carl Peltzer, Carlo Bocardo, Jeff Elder, Merchants and Al Hlavin, Cotton Incorporated visited the APTMA House to conduct a seminar on Cotton Qualities, Challenges and Solutions. Ms Kathleen Gibilisco, Head Political/Economic, US Consulate General, Lahore was the chief guest on the occasion.
Chairman APTMA Abdul Rahim Nasir welcomed the delegation along with Kamran Arshad, Khawaja Muhammad Anees, Asad Shafi, and Secretary General Raza Baqir. William Bettendorf, Regional Director CCI, said the visit of the US Cotton delegation had become a regular feature over the last few years. He hoped that this interaction would help in resolving issues relating to the production of cotton and its trade between the two countries.
He said the objective of organizing the seminar was to apprise the APTMA members about cotton quality, challenges and possible solutions vis a vis challenges being faced by Pakistani cotton growers. Speakers from the Cotton Council International discussed in detail the challenges being faced in the production of cotton in various cotton growing areas all over the world.
They highlighted the aspects relating to the development of eco-friendly cotton production in textile and business challenges and solutions for Pakistan’s textile sector. Foreign delegates updated the APTMA members about the best global practices in the cotton and textile trade being adopted by various countries to meet the new challenges. Speaking on the occasion, Rahim Nasir Chairman of APTMA said the US was Pakistan’s largest trade and investment partner with a total bilateral trade of $9.85 billion during 2021-22 including textile exports of more than $ 5 billion from Pakistan to the US.
He said cotton production in Pakistan had unfortunately dropped to around 8 million bales this year as against the estimated consumption of 15 million bales. He argued for enhancing bilateral trade relations to ensure technology transfer for high-yielding cotton seeds to Pakistan.
He also stressed on facilitation of entry of international seed companies with transgenic technology. He urged the US delegation to introduce improved, genetically modified, and certified seeds in Pakistan besides sharing information on the weather forecast.
Rahim Nasir stressed the US Cotton Research Institutes for capacity building of agriculture research institutions in Pakistan to encourage training on contamination-free cotton production and the establishment of joint ventures with Pakistani partners.
Ms. Kathleen Gibilisco, Head of the Economic Wing of the US Consulate, thanked the APTMA for hosting an informative and educative session for its members. She expressed the hope that such programmes would continue in the future and assured the APTMA of the fullest cooperation and assistance from the American Diplomatic Missions in Pakistan for conducting such events. She said such visits not only enhanced trade and investment opportunities but also helped in promoting cultural relations.
She added that mutual cooperation between the American cotton growers and the Pakistan textile industry offered a win-win situation for both countries where raw cotton imported from the US was converted into manufactured textile products and exported back to the US after enormous value addition. She emphasized for growth and sustainability of trade and economic relations between Pakistan and the US. She expressed confidence that the current trend of growth in trade and economic ties would continue in the future as well.
Earlier, Senior Vice Chairman Kamran Arshad gave a detailed presentation on the textile sector as well as the production and consumption patterns of cotton in Pakistan. He presented an analysis of US-Pakistan bilateral trade and suggested a way forward for the promotion of bilateral relations and enhancing cotton production in Pakistan.
