LAHORE: The government should immediately direct the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to purchase at least one million bales of cotton as second buyer so that cotton price could be stabilised and farmers could be saved from major loss, the Farmers Associates Pakistan (FAP) demanded on Monday.In a meeting to discuss the problems of cotton growers with respect to prices and marketing, the FAP also demanded that banks be asked to release limits to buyers of cotton to enable them to make payment against procurement of Phutti and lint to farmers.In addition, the government should also immediately announce a minimum price of Rs3,000 per maund for Phutti and Rs6,500 per maund for lint.

The FAP also said that at this juncture cotton had become so uneconomical that a maund of cotton which could buy four bags of urea can now hardly afford to buy a single bag.

The FAP demanded of the government to resolve the concerns of farmers and immediately implement its demands.

It further stated that India, which gives a subsidy of $30 billion (PKR 2,700 billion) to its farmers, is being given MFN status for trade without removing non-tariff barriers and taking into consideration the cost of production in Pakistan with practically no subsidy, or if subsidy was there, it was not passed on to farmers.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of FAP President Dr Tariq Bucha and it was attended by FAP members, Bilal Israel Khan, Ibad-ur- Rehman Khan and Naeem Ullah Malik besides Sarfraz Ahmed Khan, Senior Vice-President, Kissan Board Pakistan.