Textile, sugar industry urged to work in complete harmony to avert disaster

ISLAMABAD—The Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Senator Mian Muhammad Amjad Abbas has warned that the national economy may suffer a colossal loss if the textile and sugar industries fail to evolve grower-friendly polices urgently and do not ensure that the interests of all stake holders are fully protected.
He was presiding over a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture and Livestock, at the Parliament House on Monday.
The Committee called upon all stake-holders in the cotton and textile production to work in complete harmony with one another for improving the quality and enhancing productivity of the country’s premier export so that it can stay competitive globally.
‘A long term, forward looking and uniform policy is what we need todayto look after the interests of the 3-major parties i.e. the government, growers and the textile mill owners and friction-free relations between the stake holders is the key to surmount the growing challenges in this area’, it was observed.
The meeting underlined the need of improving the quality of research being carried out at the various cotton development institutes in the country and called for developing disease-resistant, high yielding and contamination free varieties.
It also called for raising the awareness level of farmers and easyavailability of the necessary inputs at reasonable rates.
‘The growers tend to replace a crop which no longer remains profitableand economically viable to them no matter how important it is for the national economy’, said the Chairman.
The meeting stressed the need of complete elimination of the baneful role of the middle-man, which was perceived as a major impediment hampering productivity, stifling business environment and blocking reasonable return to the farmers. The policy of shifting the blame simply does not work and the stake holders will have to move jointly against this menace,” the Members demanded.
The meeting also underscored the need to provide a fair return to the farmers, extension of outreach services, easy availability of superior quality seed, pesticides and other inputs, along with greater role of the private sector in promotion of quality research.
The meeting also dwelt on issues relating to support price of sugarcane, start of crushing season, payments to the growers, accurate weighing and amendments in the Sugar Factories Act.
“Evolution of realistic policies based on ground realities and their sincere implementation can remove the existing trust deficit on part of the various parties”, it was noted.—INP