Centre to extend Technology Mission on Cotton for 2 more years

Mumbai, August 5 (UNI) The Union Textile Ministry is contemplating extending the duration of the Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC), which is due to expire in March next year, for two more years.

Addressing the second All India Cotton Traders Associations' conference here today, the Union Minister for Textiles, Shankersinh Vaghela, said ''Yes, I'm told that the TMC was doing a wonderful job and hence I will take up the matter with the government to extend its duration for two more years''.

Prior to it, addressing the gathering the President of East India Cotton Association (EICA), K F Jhunjhunwala, urged the government that the TMC should continue as an ongoing activity. It is gratifying that targets envisaged in the TMC for the 10th five-year plan have been achieved ahead of the Plan period, especially in regard to improvement of market yards and modernisation of ginning and pressing factories, he added.

Expressing his concern over the suicides by farmers in Maharashtra and other states, the Minister said that the government was doing its best to tackle the issue and asked the textile and industry to come forward to check the trend by giving better prices to the farmers for their produce.

Talking about Bt Cotton issue, Mr Vaghela said that it was one of the factors that have helped make Gujarat as a pioneer state in the field of cotton production. The farmers in Gujarat were doing extremely well in cotton production and the varieties of cotton seeds being used by the Gujarat farmers like 'Shankar 4' and 'Shankar 6' have become the benchmark in the world, he said. He expressed his happiness over the ELS (extra long staple) cotton that is being grown by the farmers on the border areas of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

UNI KKD WD AW1956