Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam on Saturday said that technological advancement was imperative in order to increase cotton per-acre cotton yield in the country.
Talking to a delegation of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA), he said that his ministry was working on transfer of Chinese Seed Technology for yield-enhancing, besides securing funds to reduce cost of production to make cotton production a profitable business.
The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association delegation apprised the minister about the issues and challenges faced by local cotton sector. Sohail Javed Chairman Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association informed that the declining cotton production was affecting ginning sector, the most.
As seed cotton for ginning factories cannot be imported, he said adding that cottonseed cake, a byproduct of cotton was used as livestock feed to enhance milk production, is subject to multiple taxes.
They added that other issues like piled up tax refunds, slower buying of cotton by APTAM, and liquidity issues hampering the ginning sector adversely during the COVID 19 outbreak.
He urged that the Ministry of NFSR must act to resolve their issues and save this sector for further loss.
Syed Fakhar Imam further said that Ministry would take up the taxation issue with Finance Division and leave no stone unturned to get relief for the ginning sector.
Fakhar Imam asked Chairman Javed and Senior Vice Chairman Asim Shaikh of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association to send a set of proposals for modernizing the ginning sector and upgrade technology to improve the quality of lint produced in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association delegation informed that over 1,300 ginning factories installed across the cotton belt and these ginning factories have ability to gin 14 million bales but due to short production for the few years, only 800 factories were in operation last year.
It’s a seasonal business and that’s why most of the ginning factories also have oil extraction units to utilize the cottonseed and convert into oil and cottonseed cake.
Oil goes to cooking oil industries or soap industry and cottonseed cake, which is rich in fibers and protein.
Meanwhile, speaking at budget session of National Assembly, the Minister for Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam said efforts have been accelerated to cope with the challenge of locusts.
He said an area of 2.5 million acres has been sprayed against locusts. He said twenty five billion rupees will be spent during the next fiscal year to control the crop munching pests.
The process of procuring aircraft and micron sprayers is underway.
Twenty micron sprayers have already been procured and reached Pakistan.
