Manmohan Singh orders review of cotton exports ban

New Delhi, Mar 7 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Wednesday ordered a review of the decision to ban cotton exports.

A delegation of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee along with the general secretaries in-charge of Gujarat and Maharashtra met Singh today with a request to immediately remove the ban.

Singh, after meeting the delegation, gave directions that a Group of Ministers should review this decision urgently on March 9.

Earlier, the commerce ministry had issued a ban on the export of cotton evoking an opposing response from Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

Pawar had said that such a decision could impact lakhs of farmers in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, who are already in great distress as traders have stopped buying cotton from them after this decision.

He said such a step should have been taken after proper consultations either in the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs or Cabinet Committee on Prices. (ANI)