ISLAMABAD: The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has identified three challenges facing producers — including water, energy and lack of creative ideas — and urged the government to introduce new technologies and develop varieties that consume less water.

“Government policies should focus on allowing prices to fluctuate with market forces, increasing funding for agricultural research, and implementing science-based regulations that allow technology development and adoption,” said the final statement issued after the 75th plenary meeting on ‘Emerging Dynamics in Cotton: Enhancing Sustainability in the Cotton Value Chain’.

The ICAC secretariat, which held its last meeting in Pakistan in 1951, presented a report on cotton which observed that the world’s average net cost of production (excluding land cost) of cotton lint was $1.16 a kilogram in 2015-16.

According to the report, government support to the cotton sector fell to $7.2bn in 2015-16, down 30pc from record $10.7bn a year earlier.

The Nairobi ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation, held in December last year, adopted a decision on cotton prohibiting export subsidies and calling for a further reduction in domestic support. The decision also calls for better market access to least developed countries.

The ICAC meeting maintained that public policies for cotton must avoid distorting the market, emphasising that the commodity faces a grave threat from man-made fibre, especially polyester.

The conference urged for changing the pest control methods as biotech cotton has changed the pest complex in many countries. It observed that the pink bollworm and the whitefly caused huge losses to yield in India and Pakistan during 2015, and demanded a reversion to traditional varieties of cotton and traditional methods of insect control in some countries.

ICAC members were informed that the terms of accession of the European Union had been mutually agreed and were now in the process of being approved by the European Commission and the European Parliament.

In addition, Bangladesh had submitted a request for membership. The terms of accession of that important cotton importer had been agreed and Bangladesh was taking the internal measures to finalise its inclusion among the members of the ICAC.

Pakistan’s cotton production has shrunk to 10m bales in 2015-16 from 14.2m in 2004-05.

Kanwar M. Usman, the director of Ministry of Textile Industry’s research, development and advisory cell, said in his presentation that man-made fibre was the main threat to cotton as its consumption has now increased to three times as compared to cotton.

Lorena Ruiz from the ICAC secretariat said the share of polyester-based fibre mix in finished products has been on a constant rise. This is because polyester is cheap and has better quality and less wastage as it is manufactured in controlled environment, she said.

The conference was informed that the Pakistani government was committed to introduce latest agriculture technologies and has carried out important amendments in Seed Act of 1976 in this regard. Further, Plant Breeders Right Bill has already been passed by the National Assembly and would soon be placed in Senate.

Next meeting of the ICAC will be held in Uzbekistan in October next year.

Published in Dawn November 5th, 2016