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PCSI to set up labs for clean cotton growth
KARACHI,April 23: The
federal government has earmarked Rs71 million from
the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for
setting-up five high-tech laboratories in the
cotton-growing belt under its clean cotton output
drive.
Official sources said on Thursday that a recently
held meeting of the officially-appointed
agronomists had come up with an idea of setting up
High Volume Instrument (HIV) Fibre testing
laboratories - three in the Punjab and two at
Sindh.
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL)
has also asked the Pakistan Cotton Standards
Institute (PCSI) to work on the project swiftly as
the fiscal year is about to end.
Following the federal government’s instructions,
an executive committee of PCSI met here on
Thursday and recommended to exhibit information
pertaining to grade and staple length on every
cotton bale.
"We have suggested to declare the move
‘mandatory’," said a PCSI executive committee
member, while talking to this scribe after the
meeting concluded.
To implement the proposal with full spirit, the
committee has asked provincial governments’ for an
amendment in Cotton Act- 1969, for the evaluation
and promotion of clean cotton culture in the
country.
"Initially three laboratories will be commissioned
in Rahimyar Khan, Multan and Vehari Districts of
Punjab and two in Sanghar and Ghotki Districts of
the Sindh Province", The Joint Director, PCSI
Liaquat Ali Khan said.
He disclosed that a total of 22 such laboratories
would be instituted under this programme in five a
year period.
One HVI lab will be established in the place of
the exiting one at the PCSIR office Karachi, and
an estimated installation cost of a single unit is
one million rupees.
Sources close to the PCSIR said that the Ministry
of Agriculture & Lives Stocks has principally
approved Rs71 million from Public Sector
Development Programme (PSDP) for the said project
and had forward the matter to the CWDP for further
considerations.
At least four high-qualified cotton experts will
be appointed at each lab.
According to estimation, Pakistan has to bear a
colossal loss of $500 to $600 million per annum
due to low quality and contaminated cotton.
In order to control this huge financial loss, the
government promulgated the Cotton Standardisation
Ordinance (CSO) in 2001, to ensure clean cotton
production by curbing contamination and its
subsequent upgrading.
According to the claim of the PCSI officials,
subsequent measures taken by the provincial
governments and the concerned departments in three
fields including administrative, operational and
marketing, the contamination level in the selected
model districts including Rahimyar Khan and Ghotki
has been brought down to 4 to 5 grams per bale
from 19 grams.
Moreover, the ITMF in its 2001 issue had ranked
Pakistan at the 25th position, from the previous
rank of number 2, in 1999.
The News International, Pakistan |
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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