FAISALABAD (April 29 2009): Textile policy will help Pakistan to bag $25 billion during first five years through cultivation of BT Cotton and optimum values addition to cotton chain, the Federal Minister for Textile Industry, Rana Mohammad Farooq Saeed Khan said.

Addressing a certificate distribution function for the successful participants of the stitching machine operators training (SMOT) programme of the ministry of the textile industry at Chenab Limited. He said, 'Pakistan has huge potential to develop its cotton chain, but we failed to exploit it because of inconsistent policies.'

He said that textile policy would cover the entire cotton chain rights from growers to the export of fashion garments. We are consulting with all stakeholders to make this policy a result oriented, he added. He was critical of the agriculture scientists and said that they failed to give any high yielding and pest resistant cotton variety during the last 5-6 years.

He said that BT Cotton has the potential to double the cotton production without any additional expenses or inputs and sugarcane crop, being water intensive, has become less profitable. Further, he said that growers should cultivate BT Cotton to get maximum financial benefit in addition to doubling our cotton production and the product has the potential to give at least 60 to 70mound per acre yield.

The minister also said that textile ministry was providing training to the workers to improve the quality of our exportable value added products. He said that Chenab Limited has trained so far 200 workers including 140 female and 60 male.

He said this government was also making serious efforts to overcome the load shedding and hoped that continuous supply of gas and electricity would further gear up the pace of industrial production. He also paid best tribute to PPP leadership and said that it has been trying to develop Pakistan into a modern and dynamic country. He urged upon the people to support its policies in greater national interest.

He said that Pakistan would set up a textile institute in Karachi in collaboration with Korea, where technical courses in different sections of garments, would be conducted. He said that ECC has already approved this Project.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the ex-MNA Farhan Lateef said that 200 female workers have already completed the Stitching Machine Operators Training at Chenab Limited. He said that initially this training program was launched in Faisalabad, Karachi and Lahore, but later it would be expanded to other cities as well.

He demanded a level playing field for textile sector and demanded decrease in bank mark up and round-the-clock supply of electricity and gas to the Textile Sector on subsidised rates, enabling Pakistan to compete in the global markets. The Chairman, Chenab Limited, Mian Muhammad Latif also spoke on this occasion and said that pick and drop facility to female workers was also being provided.

The Secretary, Textile Ministry, Dr Waqar Masud, Chairman, Faisalabad Dry Port Trust, Sheikh Ashfaq Ahmed and Chairman, Faisalabad Garment City, Sheikh Mukhtar Ahmed also attended the Ceremony. Later, the minister distributed certificates among the successful participants of SMOT programme.