KARACHI, July 18: The Federal Textile Board on Thursday feared a wide gap of around 1.3 million bales between production and consumption of raw cotton during next cotton season 2002-2003.

The first meeting of the sectoral committee on raw cotton of the board was presided over by convener of the committee Gohar Ejaz.

The committee noted with concern that the production target of 10.07 million bales as compared to the estimated mill consumption of 11.4 million bales, for the season 2002-2003, shows a deficit of 1.3 million bales.

As a result of this huge deficit, the committee felt that the country will have to foot a huge bill on import of raw cotton.

In order to avoid such a situation the committee strongly recommended that highest priority might be given to increasing production, through research and administrative measures, with aim to save valuable foreign exchange.

The committee discussed in details the cotton policy, crop estimation, month wise stock taking of production, import and export of cotton, problems of cotton growers and ginners, and assessed future quantity, cotton standards.

It has been also recommended that for improving cotton quality and to control contamination, Cotton Standardization Ordinance may be re-promulgated before the commencement of next cotton season.

Similarly, it was emphasized that cotton research should be focused on the future requirements of raw cotton of the domestic textile industry in terms of quantity, quality and requirements of long staple and extra long staple cotton.

The convener of the committee Gohar Ejaz said that the government has constituted sectoral committees of Federal Textile Board so that different aspects of the textile industry could be analyzed in detail.

He said that these committees will also review and focus on the specific sub-sector of textile industry and suggest for rationalizing the government policies to bring about over all improvement in the sector.

Among other recommendations made by the committee include establishing of cotton ginning research institute at Multan. Collection of reliable data pertaining to production, consumption, import and export be ensured by the agencies concerned as this will facilitate marketing of the produce.

The committee members also recommended that the provincial agriculture department should take necessary action for establishment of separate cotton markets other than the existing grain markets, for the purpose of proper storage and marketing of raw cotton.

The meeting was attended by the chairman TCP, chairman PCGA, representatives of APTMA, KCA and textile commissioners’ organization, director research CRI Multan, director research and marketing, PCCC, joint director PCSI and Iftikhar Soomro, representatives of growers and textile mills.