Country capable of meeting cotton needs, says Bosan
By Tariq Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD—Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan Wednesday said Cotton will not be imported because there is no shortage of cotton in the country.
Speaking at a press conference, the Minister said "Cotton Assessment Committee has assessed production of 12.5 million bales of cotton showing shortfall of 2.5 million bales against the target of 15 million bales during current year".
He said the cotton production remained in between 10 to 11 million bales during last few years so that production of 12.5 million bales is quite reasonable to meet the requirements. The flood and heavy rains had caused unfavorable conditions for cotton production damaging crops on an area of 3.5 lakh acres of land, he added.
Bosan said "the mill consumption of raw cotton in the country and the export of textile goods are growing with simultaneous upsurge in domestic cotton production from an average of ten million bales produced annually for over a decade to an all time record of 14.6 million bales produced in 2004-05".
Being cognizant of the economic significance of cotton sector in the national economy, he said, the government is determined to provide all possible support to the private sector stake holders for maximizing the production of quality cotton and the value addition through necessarily required technological, administrative, fiscal and legislative measures.
At the sametime, he said, the government has provided a level playing field to all the stakeholders by maintaining a free trade policy with no embargo on the volume of import or export of raw cotton. While refuting a news report, Food and Agriculture Minister said a wrong impression has reportedly emerged in the cotton sector that due to the current cotton crop being shorter than the envisaged production target of 15 million bales the government would import He said "the report is false and creating a negative impression with regard to cotton production.
The government has no such intentions and the textile mills are already allowed to import any amount of raw cotton by themselves as was done in past years".
Sikandar Bosan said the government is however pursuing a policy of expansion in cotton production vertically in the Punjab and Sindh and promoting cotton cultivation in potential areas of Balochistan and N.W.F.P to meet the spinners' requirement both volume and quality wise through a pragmatic research and development process with visible improvement in yield, ginning out turn and fibre characteristics.
Hailing the Prime Minister's statement regarding ending of subsidy for farmers of developed countries atCommon Wealth summit Sikandar Bosan said "PM's statement is commendable because subsidy to farmers of developed countries is affecting the interests of farmers of developing states". He said the government will follow the same stand at forthcoming WTO Ministerial meeting to held at Hong Kong from December 13 to 17.