The Government of Pakistan is considering incorporating ambitious targets in its five-year cotton policy 2013-17, the draft of which has not yet been finalized.
The policy would aim to boost Pakistan’s cotton production to 22 million bales, consumption to 19 million bales and exports to 3 million bales by 2017, The Express Tribune said quoting a government official.
Currently, Pakistan’s annual cotton production stands at about 13 million bales, consumption at 14 million bales and exports at 1 million bales.
To increase production, the new cotton policy will strive to increase the area under cotton cultivation from the current 3.2 million hectares to 4.2 million hectares over the five-year period.
Pakistan is the fourth biggest cotton producer – next only to China, the US and India – but stands second in terms of contamination in cotton, the government official told the daily.
The new policy will specifically aim at addressing the issue of cotton contamination by offering a premium to those farmers who produce clean cotton. The Government may set up a cotton investment fund for the purpose.
The policy will also relook the insurance scheme to cover crops of those farmers who avail loans from commercial institutions, the official said.
Further, there is also a proposal to set up a cotton ginning research and training institute.
However, the Government would seek opinion and suggestions from various stakeholders and provincial governments before finalizing the draft policy, which would then be placed before the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for its approval, according to the official.
Source:
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