KARACHI, Oct 20: The panic-stricken spinners body — All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Sindh-Balochistan zone) — wants the policy-markers to explore the possibility of importing cotton from India through Wagha border.

While suggesting different measures to face the raw cotton crisis arising out of a large-scale pests attack in the cotton growing belt of Punjab, the spinners also wants the government to enter into an arrangement with world traders for maintaining their cotton stocks at export warehouses in the country.

These recommendations were made by Aptma (Sindh-Balochistan zone) in its first managing committee meeting held here on Monday under the chairmanship of its chairman Dewan Mohammad Ayub Khalid.

The meeting was called to consider the extra-ordinary rise in raw cotton prices, which has almost shaken up the confidence of the entire textile industry.

It was noted that due to heavy BMR of $4 billion in the textile spinning sector, the demand of cotton and other raw materials had increased. The meeting strongly recommended that Aptma must maintain the sanctity of free trade.

The participants also suggested that the government should arrange meetings with the international cotton traders and offer them to store their cotton stocks in export warehouses in the country rather than Dubai and Bunder Abbas, which would save extra cost of freight and would be beneficial for the textile spinners.

Furthermore, the warehouses of imported cotton with up to one million bales capacity will have ready market for Pakistani spinners and cotton consumers of the region. For attracting world traders to maintain their cotton stocks at the export warehouses the government should provide infrastructure facilities.

Aptma strongly feels that if these measures are adopted the domestic textile industry will be able to obtain required cotton of their choice with low transportation charges and time loss as compared to Dubai and Bunder Abbas.

With regard to drastic increase in prices of cotton and its repercussions on the viability, the meeting suggested that the government should abolish sales tax on entire textile industry and reduce customs duty on import of polyester fibre. It also says there should be no ban on import or export of cotton.