MULTAN, Jan 9th: Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association(PCGA) has rejected the ECC recommendations to withdraw four percent customsduty and 5 % sales tax on the import of cotton from India and other countries and demanded for continuation of tax & duty for the survival of agriculture sector otherwise Pakistan would not be able to stand on its own feet.Addressing a Press Conference PCGA leaders Haji Muhammad Akram(Chairman),Shehzad Ali Khan, Malik Talat Suhail, Amanullah Qureshi,Sheikh Muhammad Saeed, Haji Hafeez Anwar (Former Chairmen),Mian Javed Tariq Vice Chairman, Khalid Hanif Lodhi,Ghulam Mustafa Khandwa,and Ashiq Ali Babar Rehmani said that Pro-APTMA policies of present Government at the cost of agriculture sector were not acceptable to ginners as well as growers and urged upon the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi not to notify the recommendations of Economic Coordination Committee.Haji Muhammad Akram Chairman of PCGA said that Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar admitted that our economy had suffered a loss of Rs.500 billion due to less production of cotton which had shattered our economy. more than 1.3 million bales were lying in ginning factories while ten percent more crop was expecteed from the growers.Under these circumstance,allowing the import of cotton would be tantamount to slaughter the growers and ginners who heave a sigh of relief after increasing the prices of cotton to reasonable level.The cotton ginning industry has fiercely opposed duty-free import of Indian cotton, saying it will have destructive effects on Pakistan’s economy.They revealed that more than 1.3 million bales of cotton were lying unsold in ginning factories, which textile millers were reluctant to purchase.Another 10 to 15 percent bales are expected next month. They saw no justification for withdrawal of tax and customs duty on cotton import from India at the cost of Pakistan’s farmers, arguing fibre import via land or sea was not in the interest of national economy.If such imports continued without any curbs, he believed, they would harm cotton production in the country in the next season.Last year, cotton harvest had dropped 30% and if appropriate measures were not taken, the situation could deteriorate further and affect local output.He was of the view that the production cost was higher than the prices farmers were receiving for their harvest. The high cost was one of the reasons behind the decline in cotton production, he added.They expressed concern that if the imports of cotton lint continued, it would affect the cotton production in the country during next season, adding that last year cotton production declined by 30 per cent, so if appropriate measures are not taken, the position would deteriorate and affect the production. They said that the ginneries had sufficient stock of cotton lint available so there was no justification to import the commodity from India. The ginners said the government did not fix the support price for cotton, leaving them at the mercy of textile millers, who would procure domestic cotton at their desired rates. They said that Government had announced subsidy twice for the Sugar Mafia to save them from losses but no compensation was announced for growers and ginners when they incurred loss due to cartel of Textile millers.
