MULTAN, Jan 25: The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association has rejected the officially estimated cotton crop size of 10m bales for the year 2003-2004, claiming that it will not be more than 9.5m bales.

In a press statement, PCGA chairman Seth Jaitha Nand Kohistani alleged that the pundits of the federal agriculture ministry did not give weight to the opinion of the cotton market stakeholders belonging to the private sector in the meetings of the Standing Committee on Cotton Crop Assessment.

He lamented that the stakeholders always came to attend the SCCCA meetings at their own expense but the officials seldom accredited their point of view. He claimed that the PCGA was the only institution in the country to come out with more appropriate figures about the cotton arrival in a season. "Textile millers, Trading Corporation of Pakistan, Farmers' organizations and all other stakeholders appreciate our figures and consider them vital in cotton trade," he added.

He said keeping in view all the factors and the pattern of Phutti (seed cotton) arrival in the last three months of the season it could be safely said that the crop was unlikely to touch even 9.5m bales rather than reaching the officially projected estimate of 10m bales.

It may be added here that the second SCCCA meeting of the season was held here on Saturday last with the state minister for food, agriculture and livestock, Sikander Hayat Bosan, in the chair. The committee upheld the estimate of 10m bales of its first meeting with a note that the situation would be clearer in the month of February when the SCCCA was likely to hold its third meeting.