ISLAMABAD, July 9: The government on Friday imposed a ban on the use of polypropylene and jute bags for the transportation of raw cotton (phutti) to ginning factories to control the level of contamination.

Officials told Dawn on Saturday that the decision was taken in a meeting headed by Textile Industry Minister Mushtaq Ali Cheema on the recommendations of the task force on production of contamination-free cotton.

The task force suggested that the ban would result in reducing the level of contamination from the existing 18 per cent to seven per cent.

According to the officials, in this connection the provincial governments had been directed to make necessary amendments in their respective cotton control acts. The officials said the provincial governments had also been proposed to use section 144 for the effective implementation of the decision.

It was decided that premium would be paid to those growers who produced clean and contamination-free cotton.

On the recommendations of the task force, the government has decided to establish five cotton fibre-testing laboratories at Sangharh, Gohtki (Sindh), Multan, Rahimyar Khan and Vehari (Punjab) this year at a cost of Rs71 million, out of the PSDP.

The meeting also decided that every ginning factory must appoint a cotton selector to purchase clean and best quality cotton from the growers. In this connection, the Pakistan Cotton Standard Institute (PCSI) has provided training to 1,500 persons.

The officials said the price of cotton would be fixed according to cotton standard. The standard size of packing of a cotton bale would be 170kg in future. The textile industry in collaboration with the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock will launch a media campaign to create awareness among growers/cotton pickers and ginners for the production of clean cotton.

According to the recommendations, the PCSI while installing high value instruments (HVI) will ensure the provision of active conditioning system (ACS); the laboratories would be run by the private sector; for the purpose of neutrality, private inspecting agencies would be pre-qualified by the PCSI with the cooperation of the TCP; and the inspection fee would be paid by the ginning factories.

The task force also proposed that the provincial agriculture departments should take necessary measures to amend the Cotton Control Act, 1966.