MULTAN, Nov 20: The Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority’s (SMEDA) ginning modification programme has not elicited much enthusiasm among ginners and buyers so far.
The SMEDA launched the programme this year with an aim to modify the existing ginning machinery and prepare for 2005 when the country would have to compete in the global market under the WTO regime.
The Authority has reportedly set a deadline in 2004 to modify and upgrade the ginning sector and ensure production of quality lint. As a pilot project of the programme, the SMEDA has decided to modify 10 ginneries this cotton season to set models for others to follow.
However, the authority has been able to introduced the scheme in only three factories so far.
The SMEDA and Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association have signed an agreement under which the authority will provide expertise for modification free of cost and the ginner bear the expenses for modification and upgradation, which are estimated at $4,000 per unit or machine.
It may be added here that there are around 1,000 ginneries in the country with one or more than one unit.
The authority has been able to persuade only three ginners in the Punjab, Khwaja Azam of Multan, Mian Mehmood of Khanpur (Rahim Yar Khan) and Chaudhry Masood Majeed of Bahawalpur, into modifying their machines.
It was learnt that the ginner of Multan had yet to modify his factory. The Khanpur ginner was not able to switch over to modern ginning techniques despite investing in the project.
Only the ginner in Bahawalpur was able to start production on a modified ginning machine a few days ago.
When contacted, Chaudhry Majeed said there were four ginning units in his factory and he had to spend Rs2 million on the modification project to produce quality lint.
However, he regretted that he was being paid the same price which other ginners of the area got for their product without modifying their machines.
The SMEDA is reported to have hired the services of French experts for the project, who are being paid a handsome amount for consultancy.
A growers’ representative on various federal and provincial official committees on agriculture, Khwaja Mohammad Shoaib, underlined the need for a ‘sensible’ response from buyers to make successful schemes like production of contamination-free cotton through modified ginning. They must pay a higher price for quality cotton, he observed.