LAHORE: Federal and Punjab authorities discuss measures to ensure that cotton growers get the support price as the country secures the first white lint export orders for the new crop.

Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a meeting on Tuesday to deliberate on measures to ensure that growers receive the fixed support price of Rs8,500 per maund for their crop.

The meeting was attended by chairman FBR, group leader of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) Gohar Ejaz, Fuad Mukhtar, Anwar Ghani, and senior officials from the finance ministry. Details of the meeting were not shared with the media.

The CM had earlier in the day advised the cotton growers not to undersell their crop and emphasised that the government is committed to ensuring the sale of cotton at a minimum rate of Rs8,500 per maund.

He said the farmers would receive full value for their produce and directed the commissioners and deputy commissioners to enforce this rate in their respective areas.

Govt mulls steps to ensure cotton growers get support price

Dr Jassomal Lemani, former chairman of the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association, says he has sold 5,000 bales of cotton to importers in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

Last year, a total of 16,000 bales of cotton had been exported.

Dr Jassomal says that he has fetched between Rs18,500 and Rs17,500 per 40kg rates for his exports and expects that the shipment of these contracts will commence in the first or second week of August. He says that more export agreements are also expected to be made by the ginners in the coming days.

Cotton Ginners Forum chairman Ihsan-ul-Haq says that due to favourable temperatures dur­ing the cotton sowing and picking seasons in coastal areas of Sindh this year, cotton quality has significantly improved to meet internatio­nal standards. As a result, Pakistan has started rece­iving early orders for cotton exports, and it is anticipated that record-breaking cotton expo­rts may be achieved in the current year, he hopes.

He says that due to the delay in cotton procurement by ginners, there has been a rapid increase in cotton prices and consequently, the price of cotton reached Rs17,500 per maund in Punjab, and Rs17,000 per maund in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2023