Rare Chance for Cotton Trade

Rare Chance for Cotton Trade IN his inaugural address at the 19th meeting of the Indian Cotton Development Council (ICDC) held in Bombay on March 25 the union minister of state for agriculture, Yogendra Makwana, observed that "the council is an advisory body and has a significant role to play for recommending various measures on aspects like increasing the production of cotton, suggesting changes in research and development for improving the quality of fibre, ensuring remunerative prices to cotton growers, marketing, exports, etc". What kind of significance is one to attach to the role played by this 'advisory body' which is holding its 19th meeting after a lapse of six years? The explanation offered for this lapse is that the council was reconstituted only in October 1986 whereas the term of the chairman and the non- official members of the former council had expired on August 22, 1980. This cannot but undermine the importance and prestige of the council.