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Ginners not to celebrate Eid as protest against TCP

RECORDER REPORT

MULTAN: The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has unanimously decided not to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr as a protest against the attitude of Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP).

The PCGA Chairman, while talking to this correspondent here on Friday said: Now can we celebrate Eid being unable to buy new clothes for our families as over two million bales are lying unsold and our factories have turned into warehouses of raw cotton?" He said growers are after them and they are unable to pay them.

The PCGA chairman demanded a high-level inquiry against cotton assessment committee, which had fixed a target of 11 million bales for the current season.

He said fake figures of high production had badly affected the prices and growers could only get 50 percent of what they received last year. On the basis of arrivals and other informations, we can safely say that target of 10.5 or 11 million was not realistic. He also refuted the claim of the TCP regarding contract and physical delivery.

COTTON-GROWERS

Cotton growers have also decided not to celebrate Eid because more than 25 percent of their 'phutti' was lying unsold and ginners did not pay their cotton price so far because their bank limits have already been exhausted. Since the TCP has suspended the purchase of cotton in the mid of December, 1999, ginners have also stopped the buying and ginning phutti.

PCGA president Abdul Ali Zakir Usmeni said farmers would offer Eid prayers wearing black armbands and would stage demonstrations after Eid against government's policy.