Sharad Pawar to seek PM's help in revoking cotton export ban

NEW DELHI: Irked by the government's decision to ban cotton exports, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention to revoke the decision.

"I was kept in the dark on the issue. It's highly objectionable that the decision of banning cotton export was taken without consulting the agriculture ministry. I will take up this issue with the prime minister to lift the ban," he said on the sidelines of an ICAR conference.

"How can DGFT take such an important decision? This is a serious issue. It should have been taken up with the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs or the Cabinet Committee on Prices like the way it's been done in the case of wheat, sugar or rice," he said.

He said the ban will be harmful for farmers and the industry. "Cotton growers in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are in a great distress. Traders have stopped buying cotton from them leaving them in lurch," he said.

The agriculture minister quoted Confederation of Indian Textile Industry saying that the ban will create panic in the global market. "There's no need of export ban. Industry will manipulate prices," he said quoting CITI.