KARACHI, Dec 30: The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has so far contracted the purchase of 543,200 bales of lint cotton all over the country.

A TCP official said here on Tuesday that out of the total, 376,200 bales were procured in Punjab and 166,600 in Sindh.

He said that as many as 42,100 contracted cotton bales have also reached the TCP godowns in Karachi. It may be noted that TCP is contracting for lint cotton at Rs3,202 per maund (37.324 kg) from ginners on the directives of federal government to stabilise the market and ensure a fair return to the growers.

For this purpose, TCP has set up 13 centres in cotton belts, of which eight are in Punjab, four in Sindh and one in Balochistan. —APP