Agriculture association: Farmers threaten protest over cotton import via land route

Say authorities should protect interests of local farmers in accordance with law

LAHORE: Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Khokhar has threatened to initiate a series of protests if the concerned authorities fail to protect the interests of local farmers.

He said that the local agriculture and cotton crop needs to be protected by taking decisions in accordance with the law. “Importing cotton through land route is forbidden according to Plant Quarantine rules 1967 and should not be permitted through Wagha or Torkham boarders,” Khokhar remarked.

He accused the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) of intending to import cotton from Torkham and Wagha borders at lower prices, which would result in a drop in cotton prices in the country and hurt the local cotton growers.

“Some 200-300 trucks carrying 50,000 metric tons of cotton are waiting at Torkham boarder for green signal from the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) and Ministry of National Food Security and Research,” he said.

Khokhar was of the view that raw cotton could only be imported by receiving prior permission of DPP and taking phytosanitary measures complying with sub rule 3 of rule 28 of Plant Protection Quarantine Act 1967, which states that cotton can only be imported with prior special permission of DPP through sea routes and has to be fumigated at the port of entry.

“Aptma is pressurising the DPP to set aside the quarantine act and issue release order to customs authorities,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2018.

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