Ginners must prevent Pink Bollworm attack in fields: Indian Minister

Pink bollworm attacks are seen frequently from ginneries while processing of raw cotton (unginned cotton). Oil extraction units which produce oil from cottonseed also create risk for cotton fields.

Goyal held an interactive meeting with the newly constituted Textile Advisory Group at Mumbai to address issues relating to augmenting present supplies of cotton and also strengthening productivity. The meeting was chaired by Suresh Kotak, chairman of the Textile Advisory Group. The minister exhorted that containment of factors impinging on productivity need to be tackled in time bound project manner and the industry should participate in self-regulatory mode. He suggested that everyone be sensitised for compulsory use of pheromone trap technology through the wide network of the Cotton Corporation of India Ltd.

Addressing the need of accuracy of statistics across the value chain to enable policy decision, trade facilitation, traceability, etc, Goyal directed that a portal be created with inputs of Cotton Association of India, ginners as well as Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, and the Southern India Mills’ Association. The portal can work on self-compliance mode.

If persuasion and self-compliance do not yield results then ‘disincentives’ can be built in the systems like Cotton Corporation of India Ltd, wherein government benefits can be stopped.

As regards extension of period of wavier of import duty up to December this year, Goyal directed the concerned authorities to finalise the matter early. He emphasised to do campaigns in farming areas to control sale of spurious illegal seeds.

Kotak particularly stressed the need to ensure seed availability for sowing especially new early maturing varieties and need to revamp seed system to enhance productivity of Indian cotton from present stagnation. He elaborated on possible approaches to augment availability of cotton relating to stock possibilities, both domestically and from other countries. He said that as per estimates of Committee on Cotton Production and Consumption, carry over stock at the end of current season would be 41.27 lakh bales of 170 kg each, which is about 12.66 per cent of total stock and enough for 45 days consumption.

Textiles secretary Upendra Prasad Singh advised industry to approach the ministry of agriculture for procedural requirements to enable import from some destinations. The core issue of seed quality was deliberated in detail with dedicated action for the current season. A ministry official intimated that enough seed is available to meet the domestic requirement. However, industry representatives stressed on the need to distinguish right from wrong types.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)