Vowing not to do trade with India at the cost of farmers, ginners and industrialists, the Federal Commerce Minister, Khurram Dastgir Khan, has said that trade policies would be framed with the consent of all stakeholders.
He was talking to a delegation of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) which called on him in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Mukhtar Ahmed Khan Baloch. The other members of the PCGA included Senior Vice Chairman Prem Chand Khiatani, Vice Chairman Aasim Saeed Sheikh and Shehzad Ali Khan. The minister also announced that a new policy would be framed on cotton import from India with the consent of all stake holders.
He said that funds have already been released for the establishment of Cotton Ginning Research & Training Institute in Multan.
Reiterating that the ministry of textile would play a key role in getting cleared refund cases of ginners, the minister said: "We have imposed five per cent import duty on the import of cotton yarn after reviewing the effects of cotton and yarn import from India."
He also claimed that revolutionary amendments were being introduced in Seed Act-2010 so that well-germinated, certified and heat resistant seeds could be supplied to the farmers on reasonable rates.
Quoting Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif as saying that fleecing of growers would not be tolerated at any stage, the minister said: "Use of uncertified varieties of seeds increases input costs of farmers. The low levels of pest resistance in these seeds have increased insects'' immunity, necessitating the use of nearly double the normal amount of pesticides," he added.
At the outset, the minister lauded the PCGA''s role in ensuring supply of certified cotton seed.
Earlier, the PCGA delegation expressed its reservations on the import of cotton from India and stressed the need for finalising a timeframe for cotton import so that interest of local growers could not be hurt.
Source:- brecorder.com
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