Daily Times

Years-long efforts of cotton economy stakeholders particularly the Pakistan Cotton Brokers Association (PCBA) are set to bear fruit with the relaunch of Pakistan’s cotton grading and standardization system afresh with a touch of modernity.

“We, along with other stakeholders would try to finalize a date and venue for its relaunch next month, possibly August 14, the independence day to double the delight,” PCBA President Major (Rtd) Kashif Islam told this scribe after attending a meeting with cotton stakeholders chaired by Federal Secretary Ministry of National Food Security and Research Zafar Hassan in Islamabad to discuss a way forward.

Pakistani cotton is going to make a mark on the world cotton stage, once the system is reactivated as a pilot project through its full enforcement across the country which would take around three to five years, he later said in a statement on Friday. “It’s like a dream turning into reality,” Kashif added.

All this grading and standardization system would be enforced under the umbrella of the Pakistan Cotton Standard Institute (PCSI). An eminent Agriculture Scientist and Director of PCSI Dr Tasawur Hussain Malik at a training course in Multan told that the federal government was committed to making funds available for upgrading PCSI laboratories and new machinery acquisition for enforcement of cotton grading and standardization system across the cotton belt to benefit all stakeholders including farmers, ginners and textile millers. He further said it would help them nurture a strong value chain system from farm to ginning factories and onward to textile mills.

A noted cotton expert, Khalid Mahmood, termed this initiative a good beginning to revive the culture of producing and processing cotton in a way attaching quality to the white gold. He recalled, there was a Cotton Export Corporation that had introduced types of cotton that were recognized internationally but it was disbanded and later replaced by PCSI.

Then six grades were introduced for seed cotton (Phutti) including the top quality tagged as “Super” and rest graded as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 while eleven grades were introduced for lint. PCBA President Kashif Islam congratulated PCSI on holding a two-week course for cotton selectors’ training as the beginning of reinfusing soul back into PCSI and a first step to translating PCBA’s struggle into fruition with the relaunch of cotton grading and standardization system, now in sight.

All this would not have been possible without the active support of veteran experts like Abid Zaidi, and veteran PCSI stalwarts. He said, PCBA brought all stakeholders on a single page to achieve this goal and thanked Federal Secretary Ministry of National Food Security and Research Zafar Hassan, Vice President PCCC Ijaz Ahmad Bajwa, PCSI Director Dr. Tasawur Hussain Malik, Cotton Commissioner Dr Zahid Mahmood, Chairman APTMA Asif Inam, Chairman PCGA Waheed Arshad, and KCA for their active support. Kashif Islam especially thanked PCGA chairman for his professional and technical support.

The PCBA president said that the grading system would be launched as a pilot project on the pattern of PCSI grading introduced earlier and added that it will coincide with efforts to evolve a grading and standardization system matching new trends and international standards. It, however, would take around three to five years to materialize as it would involve framing rules and regulations on the pattern of ICA and arbitration.

Cotton grading and standardization had taken root in Pakistan in the 1980s that had ensured better returns to farmers and ginners and a supply of good quality fibre to the textile industry. However, later it faced disregard from the mid-90s leaving the system ineffective. The revival of this system would encourage farmers to harvest good quality seed cotton to get premium price or face price discount in case of poor quality and the same is true for ginners too who transform seed cotton into bales of lint, said Khalid Mahmood. It would enhance the credibility of Pakistani cotton and strengthen the trust of foreign buyers and textile millers, said PCBA president Maj. (R) Kashif Islam, adding It would be a game changer to bring about a turnaround in the national economy.