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MULTAN, Oct 7: The size of cotton crop is likely to remain a subject of controversy this year as ginners are once again pressing bales with an average weight of 161 kilograms.
The Central Cotton Committee bases its estimates on an assumed bale weight of 170kg. The Standing Committee on Cotton Crop Assessment has estimated the crop size for the year 2001-2002 as 10.9 million bales.
The controversy about bale weight had first surfaced last year when the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association surprised the market analysts in the middle of the season by announcing an average bale weight of 160kg. The disclosure upset all estimates about crop size.
The Punjab Cotton Crop Committee, for example, had given a figure of 10.1 million bales. In view of the 160 kg average bale weight, this translated to about 9.5 million bales at an average bale weight of 170 kg. The PCCC, however, stood by its original estimate giving a new figure of 10.8 million bales, including 500,000 bales considered fit only for non-mill consumption.
Analysts said the inflated figures suited the agricultural researchers. They also helped spinners and exporters who referred to them as pretext for paying a lower price. Their windfall profits, however, came at the growers’ cost.
The PCGA, which issued cotton arrival figures for the first time this season on Thursday, mentioned tons rather than bales. The total weight of pressed bales was mentioned as 112,835.24 tons, which is equivalent to about 700,000 bales at an average bale weight of 160 kg or 660,000 bales at an average bale weight of 170 kg.
PCGA chairman Sheikh Saeed said his association would give cotton arrival and pressing figures in tons from now on. In the next SCCCA meeting, he said, the PCGA would press for adoption of weight units. “Tonnage system will resolve the issue of exact crop size for all times,” he concluded.
TCP: Former national assembly speaker Syed Fakhar Imam has urged the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to immediately start the cotton procurement to arrest the downward slide of phutti prices.
Through a press release issued here on Saturday, he said growers were depressed for they were getting Rs650 per 40 kg price of seed cotton against the official price of Rs780.
He said the task of the TCP was to work as troubleshooter in case of price depression in the cotton market, but so far it had failed in this respect. Therefore, cotton growers had left with no choice but to sell their produce at throwaway prices to middlemen, he said.
Mr Fakhar said grower’s cost of production had been increased considerably after the government had imposed 15 per cent GST on fertilizers and pesticides besides increasing the diesel prices.
Despite contributing 25 per cent to country’s GDP and 75 per cent to total exports, the agriculture sector was not getting its due share, he said.
During the last season, he said, growers had to suffer huge losses in wheat business as they could get Rs240 per 40 kg price of their produce against the official support price of Rs300.
He demanded that the government should impose a ban on the import of cotton for the next four months.
ELECTED: Syed Muhammad Asim has been elected unopposed chairman of the All Pakistan Bedsheets and Upholstery Manufacturers Association (APBUMA) for the year 2001-2002.
A Press release of the association said that Chaudhry Khushi Muhammad and Malik Israr Ahmed had been elected as senior vice-chairman and vice-chairman, respectively. Those elected executive committee members are: Azmat Mehmood Butt, Amir Mehmood, Goharullah, Imran Yahya, Muhammad Kazim, Saud Rashid and Tanveer Ahmed.
