Ijaz Kakakhel Islamabad
A legislative body of Upper House of parliament on Thursday recommended fixing the minimum support price for the cotton at Rs 8000-9000.
The recommendation was during Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research, which held today in parliament house while Senator Syed Muzafar Hussain Shah was on chair.
The Ministry earlier informed that the minimum support price for cotton has been fixed at Rs. 5,700, which the Chairman committee said was not enough to meet the requirement. The recommendation regarding fixing the support price will be taken up with the Economic Coordination Committee, the Ministry Informed.
Regarding the matter of fixing the minimum support price for the cotton, the Chairman Committee observed that non-fixation of the minimum support price for the cotton has forced the farmers to shift to other crops causing great loss to its production.
The panel head stated that cropping zones must be made and the federal government, being the coordinating and focal agency, should prevail upon the provinces to enforce the implementation of such zones. Otherwise, the committee fears that in the coming years’ cotton cultivation will further decrease causing a huge loss to the national exchequer.
