MULTAN, Aug 1: An important meeting to discuss restructuring of the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee is scheduled to be held in Karachi on Monday (today). Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's member (Bio-sciences) Dr Kauser Abdullah Malik will chair the meeting which is likely to be attended by senior officials of the PCCC and the federal agriculture ministry besides cotton market stakeholders, including growers, ginners, millers and exporters.

The meeting will take stock of the financial and administrative affairs of the PCCC to revitalize working of cotton sector's apex committee. Sources said that enhancement in the cotton cess would also be discussed in order to inject more funds into the committee for smooth execution of its duties.

It may be added here that at present a cess of Rs11 per bale of cotton is being collected through the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association to fund the PCCC establishment and the research work being carried out through its various research institutes.

It is learnt that the Aptma and some other cotton market stakeholders have been opposing increase in the cess arguing that first the government should ensure its 100 per cent collection, check misappropriation of the funds and restructure the PCCC so that more resources could be utilized on research rather than salaries of the employees.

COORDINATION: The Mango Growers Association (MGA) and Bahauddin Zakariya University have agreed on coordination between agriculture faculty and growers to step up synchronizing research with region's agriculture sector requirements, reports APP.

New BZU vice-chancellor Prof Dr Karamat Ali has formed a committee comprising grower members of MGA and teachers of BZU's Agriculture College for coordination on mango problems and assured of university's support to growers in overcoming them.

In a meeting with MGA's four-member delegation, headed by its president Syed Zahid Hussain Gardezi, the VC said the Agriculture College had taken up all issues related to region's agriculture seriously.

He said that special emphasis would be given to protect and promote delicious fruit of mango this area was known for world wide. The faculty would work with the stakeholders and would inculcate such curricula that would help promote human resource in horticulture sector, said a release issued by the MGA on Sunday.

MGA members Malik Basheer Ahmed Awan, Muzaffar Hayat Khan Khakwani and Muhammad Khan Sadozai were also present in the meeting held at the VC office. The delegation congratulated Prof Dr Karamat Ali on his assumption of the office of BZU vice-chancellor.

It emphasized the VC on the need to set up a mango research facility in the college to work for overcoming fatal mango maladies like sudden death, Anthracnose and other dilemmas which were not only depriving growers of a profitable livelihood but also threatening annihilation of the exotic mango plants.