ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to start a contamination-free cotton campaign in order to improve the standard of cotton.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, Industry and Investment Abdul Razzaq Dawood, while talking to media on Wednesday,accused the previous government of using low quality seeds and pesticides which was whythe cotton production was decreasing.
“We have found different kinds of contaminations in cotton bail like plastic and animal feed,” he claimed, adding that the foreign businessmen would never prefer Pakistani cotton over India and Bangladesh.
He said Pakistan’scotton production has dipped down to 10.8 million bales which were 14 million bales in 2004. “Pakistan cotton research department was not doing any research so the government will seek help from China in the upcoming tour to give assistance on cotton research,” he added.
The advisor said that the textile sector contributed 60 percent in the country’s export and cotton was the main component in making the textile products.
He revealed that Pakistan was losing its trade share not only in international market but regional market as well because it was producing sub-standard cotton.
Keeping in view the current quality, Dawood stated that the Ministry of Textile has decided to start a contamination-free cotton campaign around the country and will produce 50 million bales in the next five years.
“If we succeed in this campaign, I can assure that Pakistan can produce better quality cotton as compared to regional countries,” he added.
In addition to this, the advisor said that the government would continue its policy to give incentives to five textile-related sectors as its yielding result.
“We have planned to end duties on export-related industry in the next two years,” he said, adding that the governmenthas an example of last ten years, as this decade was a deindustrialization era where importshave not been enhanced.
Razzak Dawood said that the PM was going to China next month and we will ask Chinese to help in agriculture sector and increase the industrial cooperation between the two countries.
Regarding the utility story question, he said that he directed the authorities to stop the procurement of stocks, as there was a stock of Rs4 billion laying in the cooperation. “We are not going to close this cooperation but we have to set priorities and I foresee this department can go in profit,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention that the government has given Rs23 billion subsidy to utility store cooperation in recent years.
