Pak okays cotton import through Wagah

Chander Parkash

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 26
The Pakistan government has given its nod for importing cotton from India through land routes, including the Wagah border. A high-powered delegation of Pakistan, including its commerce and textile ministers, businessmen and other cotton traders, is expected to meet India’s union minister of textiles and other functionaries of various ministries in June or July this year on this issue.

The Pakistan government has allowed the import of India cotton through land route after traders from the neighbouring country, who visited cotton-producing areas of Punjab in March, 2007, pressurized their government.

The decision will be prove to be a boon for the cotton industry in Pakistan as its import from India is cheaper as compared to any other country.

Bhagwan Bansal, president, Punjab Cotton Factories and Ginners Association, said this information had been given to the association by Shahid Farooq Puri, chairman, Indo-Pak Cotton Ginner Association, Okara (Pakistan), and chairman, Jhang Chamber of Commerce, Pakistan, on the telephone.

Bansal said the Pakistan government had allowed the import of long staple cotton through land route to meet the raw material demand being raised by its domestic industry.

Pakistan-based cotton traders, ginners and other industrialists had been facing shortage of about 35 lakh bales this year. If they were allowed to import cotton from Punjab and other cotton producing states of northern India, it would be beneficial for both the countries.