HYDERABAD, Aug 21: Sindh Agriculture Secretary Aftab Ahmad Qureshi has said various measures are being taken to produce contamination-free cotton in Sanghar district.

Presiding over a meeting of growers, ginners and officials of the agriculture department at the office Sanghar District Nazim Roshan Ali Junejo on Tuesday, Qureshi said the government had already declared Sanghar and Ghotki contamination-free cotton districts.

He said it was encouraging that ginning factories in Sanghar were developed, adding that almost all of its 64 factories had Pucca floors and 48 had weighing bridges.

He said a French experts’ team, along with Smeda experts, would visit Sanghar to suggest improvement in ginning factories as per international standard and would modernize one factory as a model.

After amendment to the Cotton Control Ordinance, cotton cloth bags will be used instead of jute bags and new saw-gins every season, pre-cleaners, lint cleaners and Pucca platforms have to be arranged by ginning factories.

The secretary for agriculture said new rates had been fixed at Rs150 (Rs100 for ginner and Rs50 for grower) for 1.5 grams contamination per bale, Rs75 (Rs50 for ginner and Rs25 for grower) for 2.5 grams contamination per bale and Rs50 (Rs33 for ginner and Rs17 for grower) for 3.0 grams contamination per bale of lint cotton.

The moisture content has to be maintained at 8.5 per cent for which, every factory has to keep a moisture meter.

Qureshi advised farmers and ginners to desist from over watering cotton which he said would affect its quality.

The agriculture secretary directed to hold a follow-up meeting shortly which would be attended by representatives of the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), Pakistan Cotton Standard Institute, textile mills, besides growers, ginners and agriculture officials.

The grower’s representatives demanded guarantee for payment as per standard of cotton, discouragement of middlemen, subsidies on inputs, ban on cotton import and abolition of double taxes.

The representatives of ginners pressed for bigger role of the TCP and binding of textile mills to pay the correct premium.

The ginners and growers assured to produce good cotton if they were paid the premia properly.

The director-general, agriculture extension, Dr Kazi Suleman Memon, said a committee of all stake-holders would be formed at the district level for Sanghar to sort out issues quickly and make the programme of the contamination-free cotton successful.

The district Nazim, Roshan Junejo, insisted that proper dust filters should be installed by ginning factories to prevent pollution in adjoining areas.

The director, cotton development programme, Ayaz Ali Memon, said that in Sanghar, cotton had been sown on 83,300 hectares.

HOSTELS: The provost of Sindh University hostels has announced that the last date for the re-allotment of the hostel rooms to the students of second, third and final years has been extended upto Aug 24. The students who have not taken possession of their rooms have been advised to contact the provost office.