Achievements & Success Stories

Transcription

1 Switch- Asia Project: Achievements & Success Stories by IQBAL Muhammad Page 0 of 86

2 Table of Content Title Page No. Abbreviations and Acronyms 2 Preface 3 Prologue 4 Acknowledgements 5 Executive Summary 6 CHAPTER- I: INTRODUCTION Background Rationale Scope and Method Project Objective Better Ginning Practices The Challenge Integrated Gap Analysis of Ginning SMEs Discussions with SMEs Output of the Consultancy 9 CHAPTER- II: LITERATURE REVIEW Chapter- III: STUDY DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 19 CHAPTER- IV: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS 20 CHAPTER- V: SUCCESS STORIES Recommendations for the Ginning Sector 75 References 77 Annex- 1: Questionnaire for Interviews 78 Annex- 2: Outstanding Entrepreneurs of Success Stories 83 Bibliography 84 Page 1 of 86

3 Abbreviations and Acronyms AC BGP CPI: CIWCE GOT kva: kw kwh: MDI OHS SPRING PF: PCGA rpm SFI: WWF- P: Alternative Current Better Ginning Practices Cleaner production Institute Centre for the Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment Ginning Out Turn kilo volt Ampere kilo Watt kilo Watt hour Maximum Demand Indicator Occupational Health and Safety Sustainable (cotton) PRoduction in (Pakistan s Cotton) GinnING (SMEs) Power Factor Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association revolutions per minute Short fibre index World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan Page 2 of 86

4 Preface Concerned about the future of my son Babar, a well- wisher told me to visit the website of WWF- Pakistan for certain openings. As has been generally happening, nothing of interest was there for him. Below the routine jobs, there was heading Consultancies. Curious to know what was there, I opened the relevant page and found a consultancy offered by the Switch Asia SPRING Project. Part of the consultancy that attracted my attention was the writing of 15 success stories about the entrepreneurs that had benefited the most from the Project guidance and advice. Coincidentally, I had recently written four success stories for the AHM Project executed by WWF- Pakistan in Chitral and Gilgit. Since this consultancy wanted proof of writing of success stories, besides other pre- requisites, I readily applied for it. I got the job and today, this document is the result of that brief intro to the background of this consultancy. As it generally happens, there is a visionary, a strategist, and a planner that acts at the centre stage of a task, a mission. Asad Imran is one such person who under the watchful guidance of Mr. Arif Hamid Makhdoom and Dr. Ghulam Akbar has seen to it that the Project Objective is met in almost its totality. And that was the teamwork that the project has been a rousing success that everyone can rightfully take pride in. When I came to know that I had a strong team of field- hardened officers - Masood, Abdullah, Sajid, and Touheed - to assist me in conducting the consultancy, I knew it already that I will have no problems in doing what I did; and in accordance with the directives given in the agreement deed. As for the Success Stories, some of it was the result of my previous experience with such stories, some was my passion for innovation 9if at all), while some of it was the inspiration that I got from Stories of Hope given to me by Dr. Ghulam Akbar. I hope that the product of my efforts would be in line with the expectations of WWF- Pakistan. IQBAL Muhammad Page 3 of 86

5 Prologue "Be sure to take change by the hand before it takes you by the throat" Sir Winston Churchill Cotton is the most widely used natural fibre in the world providing livelihood to about 250 million people. With this sweeping statement in mind, the very concept of WWF s involvement in agriculture though a relatively new facet of our already expanding conservation initiatives, yet merits appreciation. Being one of the largest sectors or our economy, even a minute improvement in agriculture and contribution to its sustainability, is bound to have an extremely positive impact both on its productivity and efficiency and on the environment as a whole. In this regard, an EU- funded project Sustainable Cotton Production in Pakistan s Cotton Ginning SMEs is in its last year of implementation. The Project aims that by 2040, sustainable production and consumption in the cotton market worldwide predominates as best practices, resulting in increased environmental sustainability and poverty reduction. We also plan that lessons on the adoption of best ginning practices will be disseminated to at least 500 gins through Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association, trainings, and exposure visits. If the EU continues its final support, we may reach out to almost 1,000 ginning units. Compared to India s average lint yield of 713kg, ours is just 431kg per ha. It s an alarming situation that warrants quick action at the highest level. It also means that even if we do not add an inch of additional land to cotton crop, we can increase our lint production by at least 40 percent. By going through various reports, discussions with Project staff, information from other sources, especially by going through the Success Stories are sufficient proof not only of the Project s successes but also of its sustainability. This might not have been possible without a realistic implementation strategy, efforts of a dedicated team of specialists headed by an equally committed team leader. Let s keep in mind that the drivers of change that positively impact the ginning industry, will continue to influence opportunities arising in the days to come. Understanding and predicting change will be very valuable as we view the future and make decisions regarding opportunities in the cotton ginning sector. We all know that Human population on earth will increase and that it will also become more affluent. Combining both the increasing population and affluence, would require additional food and fiber. And both of these items will be produced somewhere and by someone. This obviously needs a continuous search not only to ensure sustainability of whatever we are producing but also increase in the production by putting the same basic input land under more intensive agricultural practices. Having said that, I hope that the success stories of the project would be shared with a variety of stakeholders especially those in cotton ginning and textile sectors and of course representatives of the Federal and Provincial government. A seminar of all the stakeholders would be an added plus for the efforts of WWF- Pakistan. I also hope that the 45 Step- 1 ginning SMEs will act as role model for the rest of 1,000 + ginners to make use of their experiences and would tend to institute changes in their SMEs and modifications accordingly. The seminar will also look in to the reasons of better export opportunities of other cotton- growing countries. This becomes all the more important given the fact the degree of reflectance of our cotton is in the range of 70-78% compared to India s best cotton that stands at 68%. Being hardly possible to overlook the importance of our endeavors, majority of the SMEs would (hopefully) adopt practices that would lead to enhanced productivity and better efficiency besides ensuring dust- and noise- free environment and risk- free working conditions. Once that happens (and I see no reason why not ) I would strongly suggest a comprehensive research to exactly measure the contribution of this Project to the conservation of energy, environment, production efficiency, and above all, the possibility of exporting high quality lint directly to international giants like Levi, Mark & Spenser, IKEA, Wal- Mart, Sainsbury, etc. Congratulations Team SPRING for the excellent job! Hammad N. Khan WWF- Pakistan Page 4 of 86

6 Acknowledgements As I said in the preface, the cooperation and guidance of Mr. Asad Imran and the valuable suggestions given by Arif Hamid Makhdum during his short visit especially to meet me on my first day at Khanewal Office and of course, Dr. Ghulam Akbar regarding the format and content of the success stories, have proved to be tremendous help. I would not be honest if I do not give due credence to the most crucial support and contribution made by Masood, Abdullah, Sajid, and Touheed in diligently arranging my itinerary to more than fifteen ginning units and the facilitation that they provided in ensuring smooth sailing of my visits to Khanewal, Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Rahim Yar Khan, Sadiqabad, Daharki, Rohri, and Sukkur. I should also like to mention with thanks the quick, smooth and safe journey of hundreds of kilometers on the rough and desolate and dusty roads on southern Punjab and upper Sindh. This would not have been possible without the all- too- gentle Muhammad Farooq, the driver at Khanewal Office and the jovial Muhammad Aslam, the driver at Sukkur Office. I do hope that, the goodwill and support developed with so many people during the course of my consultancy would be further strengthened in the days to come. I love you all so much! IQBAL Muhammad Page 5 of 86

7 Executive Summary Over the years, WWF- Pakistan has been involved in extensive efforts to make cotton cultivation in Pakistan more sustainable by working with around 80,000 cotton farmers across over half a million acres under the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). As a result in 2010, Pakistan was declared the pioneer country to produce certified Better Cotton (BC). Sustainable Cotton Production in Pakistan's Cotton Ginning SMEs (SPRING) is funded by the European Union and executed by WWF- P. The Project is directed to the Pakistani Cotton Ginning SMEs with the overall objective as By 2040, sustainable production and consumption in the cotton market worldwide predominates as best practices, resulting in increased environmental sustainability and poverty reduction. Specific objective of the project is that By 2015, at least 500 cotton ginning SMEs in Pakistan recognize the benefits of sustainable cotton production and consumption and 40% of these commit to more sustainable production practices, in line with agreed Better Ginning Practice (BGP) guidelines and supported by the procurement practices of the European retailers. To achieve the specific objective, the project is working with 30 ginning SMEs to demonstrate sustainable ginning practices and to increase supply of Better Cotton to European markets. The Project also aims to build the capacity of 200 gins to adopt Better Ginning Practices (BGPs). Involving ginners in BC production means reduced energy costs, improved ginning out- turn, increased business and better returns due to improved fibre quality, and ultimately higher profits. Better Ginning Practices and lessons on adoption will be disseminated to at least 500 gins through PCGA, trainings and exposure visits. Cotton is a natural fibre that is cherished by people and loved in their clothes. Users that are environment- conscious are concerned about chemical use, bonded or child labor, gender inequality, low remunerations, etc. There are however certain challenges that impact the livelihoods of millions of farmers and factory workers. Cotton and textiles sector accounts for 40 percent of Pakistan s labor force and nearly 60 percent of exports. The sector is characterized by direct environmental impacts resulting mainly from high- energy consumption and inefficient production processes. Moreover poor housekeeping and working conditions pose direct threats to health and safety of workers. To address these challenges and to achieve the specific objective, the Project has worked with 30 gins to demonstrate more sustainable ginning practices and to increase inland supply of better cotton besides export to European markets. An integrated gap analysis of 45 ginning SMEs has been conducted by the Project, with technical support of Cleaner Production Institute (CPI). Through this analysis, gaps in energy efficiency, mechanical efficiency, fibre quality and gaps in housekeeping were identified. Based on that, a comprehensive implementation plan was developed and implemented to address these issues. Page 6 of 86

8 With above background description of the Project, a study has been conducted to look into the project s achievements, impact of such achievements on the various efficiencies of selected SMEs, the possible multiplier effects on other SMEs, the ultimate objective of cleaner and efficient and environment- friendly cotton production processes, besides the export of better Cotton to European Markets. The most important element of the output is the development of 15 Success Stories spanned over 1,000 to 2,000 words each. In this regard a number of Step- I ginners (Annex- 2) were spoken to, in an informal way, to ascertain the successes as propounded by the Project proponents. Almost all the ginners contacted have the following to say, in general terms: There has been an overall improvement in ginning practices to the extent of 10-15% Reduction in electricity consumption and conservation of electricity Automation of electrical systems Enhancement of mechanical efficiencies Reduction in down time (time loss due to frequent breakdowns) Improved ginning practices Increase in the proportion of long fibre Dust- free environment and dust masks Reduced levels of noise and ear plugs Better protective measures and first- aid Better lit and painted internal environment Trainings and capacity- building Research facilities Collaboration with universities Linkages with manufacturers Readiness to support and finance any initiative leading to BGPs Page 7 of 86

9 CHAPTER- I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Executed by WWF- Pakistan, the EU- funded SWITCH- Asia SPRING Project is intended to ensure sustainable future for the domestic cotton sector. It is also expected to promote environment- and resource efficiency and economic prosperity besides improving occupational safety. To achieve these objectives, the Project has been focusing on improving environmental, energy, mechanical and social efficiency of cotton ginning (CG) SMEs. The main outcome of these activities was a thorough understanding and appreciation of available technology options, efficiency impacts and the business case for the adoption of BGPs by cotton ginners, government and other stakeholders. The Project is also working towards developing linkages between gins and better cotton farmers. This will lead to benefits such as access to less- contaminated seed cotton resulting in the manufacture of quality cotton and better prices. By enabling the tracking of Better Cotton along the supply chain, the ginners will also have improved market recognition, increased access to international markets and access to new markets and buyers and consequently, increased foreign exchange earnings. 1.2 Rationale To carry out a comprehensive documentation of the achievement and successes accomplished during the last four years of the Project, there is a need to have its unbiased third party evaluation. This is necessary to preserve institutional memory, to keep the SMEs informed of their achievements, to keep the donors in loop and to locate the gaps, if any, regarding better ginning practices (BGPs). There is also a tremendous need to develop success stories about the best SMEs. These stories would be shared with key stakeholders and to encourage and recognize the SMEs for their excellent performance based on Project s efforts and the corrective measures adopted to take them to frontline (Step- 1) status. 1.3 Scope and Method The assignment entails a comprehensive review of all the relevant Project documents, followed by discussions and consultations with Project staff stationed at Khanewal, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, and Sukkur. This is to be followed by identifying key benchmarks that could help measure the achievements and successes of Step- 1 SMEs. Based on these benchmarks, some SMEs would be identified for informal meetings and discussions to have firsthand knowledge of their achievements, not only in creating an enabling environment for the workers but also of the efficiencies instituted at the operational level and the benefits derived in a number of ways. 1.4 Project Objective The Project aims that by 2015, at least 500 cotton gin SMEs in Pakistan recognize the benefits of sustainable cotton production and consumption and 40 percent of these Page 8 of 86

10 commit to more sustainable production practices, in line with agreed better ginning practice guidelines, and supported by the procurement practices of European retailers. 1.5 Better Ginning Practices (BGPs) The Project has developed four sets of BGPs for implementation by the selected SMEs: (i) mechanical maintenance; (ii) production process improvement; (iii) electrical energy conservation; and (iv) improvement of occupational safety. These BGPs were used to serve as guiding principles for implementation by the selected SMEs. 1.6 The Challenge Cotton is a natural fibre that is cherished by people and loved in their clothes. Users, that are environment- conscious, are concerned about the chemical use, bonded or child labour, gender inequality, low remunerations, etc. There are however certain challenges that impact the livelihoods of millions of cotton farmers and factory workers. Cotton and textiles sector accounts for 40 percent of Pakistan s labour force and nearly 60 percent of exports. The sector is characterized by direct environmental impacts resulting mainly from high- energy consumption and inefficient production processes. Moreover poor housekeeping and working conditions pose direct threats to health and safety of workers. To address these challenges and to achieve the specific objective, the Project has worked with 30 gins to demonstrate sustainable ginning practices and to increase the supply of better cotton besides export to European markets. 1.7 Integrated Gap Analysis of Ginning SMEs An integrated gap analysis of 45 ginning SMEs has been conducted by the Project with the technical support of Cleaner Production Institute (CPI). Through this analysis, gaps in energy efficiency, mechanical efficiency, fibre quality and gaps in housekeeping were identified. Based on that, a comprehensive implementation plan was developed and implemented to address these issues. 1.8 Discussions with SMEs A questionnaire (Annex- I) was framed and improved in consultation with the Project staff for interaction with Step- 1 ginning SMEs. Answers to these questions have provided a base for the Report and to select the best Entrepreneurs for writing of SUCCEES STORIES. 1.9 Output of the Consultancy Having the above background description of the Project, Final Report has been prepared that encompasses: a) Project objectives b) Project achievements c) Impact of achievements on the efficiencies of selected SMEs d) Possible multiplier effects on other SMEs Page 9 of 86

11 e) The ultimate objective of cleaner, efficient and environment- friendly cotton production processes f) Development of 15 Success Stories spanned over 1,000 to 2,000 words each Page 10 of 86

12 Chapter- II: LITERATURE REVIEW The literature review has been carried out for the collection of background information, first to understand the dynamics of the Switch Asia SPRING Project and second, to have an access to information about the status of ginning especially in cotton- growing countries. It included first and foremost, various project documents including study reports, consultancies, magazines developed especially for the purpose of Project, annual progress reports, evaluation reports, capacity- building plans, etc. In this regard, efforts have been made to get as much relevant information as could time constraint allow. Accordingly, the following documents have been consulted that and summarized below: Business Case Ginning Sector of Pakistan, June 2014 With the overarching objective that by 2040, sustainable production and consumption in the cotton market worldwide predominates as best practices and resulting in increased environmental sustainability and poverty reduction, the project is essentially directed to the Pakistani Cotton Ginning SMEs. In continuation to achieving this objective, the project carried out Gap Analyses of 45 Ginning SMEs, located in Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, and Sukkur region. The analysis profiled environmental and energy performance of the industry, identified gaps in environmental improvement, waste management, energy efficiency and occupational health and safety and recommended Better Ginning Practices (BGPs). Annual Progress Report, 2014 SWITCH- Asia SPRING project aims to ensure sustainability cotton sector leading to environmental stability, resource efficiency, economic prosperity, and improving working conditions within the factories. The project is also focusing on capacity- building of ginning industry for sustainable cotton production and improving business capacity to produce more market- driven products. The Project has completed three rounds of post- BGPs implementation audits of 30 LEVEL- I ginning SMEs. The Project also continued to provide onsite technical support to ginning SMEs, mobilize its primary target beneficiaries while maintaining a relationship with all the stakeholders and aiming at to improve the performance of cotton ginning SMEs. Better Ginning Practices Manual (By CPI) This Manual has been prepared to help the SMEs implement BGPs to improve energy and resource efficiency, product quality, occupational health & safety besides waste management. Recommended BGPs are based on the following: Integrated audits of 45 ginning units, in Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, and Sukkur regions Implementing BGPs in 30 ginning units BGPs that are adopted by other countries Implementation of the BGP would lead to one or more of the following benefits: Page 11 of 86

13 Improvement in the product quality Resource conservation Improvement in Occupational Health & Safety Resource conservation generally results in direct economic benefits. Improvement in occupational health & safety results in enhanced efficiency of workers besides reduction in accidents. Better Ginning Practices in Cotton Ginning SMEs of Pakistan (A Case Study by CPI) Over the years, WWF- Pakistan has been involved in extensive efforts to make cotton cultivation in Pakistan more sustainable by working with around 80,000 cotton farmers across over half a million acres under the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). As a result in 2010, Pakistan was declared the pioneer country to produce certified Better Cotton (BC). The overall objective of the Project is that by 2040, sustainable production and consumption in the cotton market worldwide predominates as best practices, resulting in increased environmental sustainability and poverty reduction. The specific objective of the project is that by 2015, at least 500 cotton ginning SMEs in Pakistan recognize the benefits of sustainable cotton production and consumption and 40% of these commit to more sustainable production practices, in line with agreed BGP guidelines and supported by the procurement practices of the European retailers. To achieve these objective, the project aims to work with 30 ginning SMEs to demonstrate sustainable ginning practices and to increase supply of Better Cotton to European markets; build capacity of 200 gins to adopt BGPs; and to promote the BGPs guideline among a further 300 gins Involving ginners in Better Cotton production through this project would ultimately result in: Reduced energy costs, improved out- turn, increased business and better returns due to improved fibre quality, and ultimately higher profits; Improved energy and processing efficiency besides proper waste management; Reduced dust and noise pollution; After the adoption of BGPs, lessons will be disseminated to at least 500 gins through PCGA, trainings and exposure visits. Ginning industry: Policy options for efficiency improvement (Manan Aslam and Shafqat Rasool) Though ginning industry is the backbone of the textile sector and plays a significant role in the economy, but unfortunately ginning factories get poor quality and contaminated cotton especially due to poor harvesting practices. Moreover, ginners use obsolete technology, old machinery and untrained labour force, resulting in low efficiency. Another major reason of low output of the ginning industry is the energy crisis. Alternative energy sources like generators lead to a three- time rise in energy cost. Lack of application of standards and ginning practices as well as poor management causes harm to the industry. Ginners, who have no role in the price- setting mechanism, face problems in getting a fair price. To adopt modern technology, necessary steps must be taken to support Page 12 of 86

14 ginneries in shifting from old roller- type machines to saw- gin system. Hence, the government and policymakers should start some training programmes for efficiency improvement. REPORT ON COTTON GINNING ISSUES (Ishtiaq Ahmad) Cotton is an important cash crop. It accounts 7.8 % of value addition in agriculture and 1.6 % in GDP. It contributes to the national economy by providing raw material to the local textile industry. About 70% of the country s cotton production is in Punjab Province, where 784 ginning factories out of 1117 are in working condition. Total export of textile manufactures during the year was of US worth $10 billion. The report has recommended a complete ban on small ginning factory having area less than 3 acres and mobile ginning unit in the core as well as non- core area. However, in exceptional cases in non- core area, where there is no working ginning factory in any tehsil, Government may sanction small ginning factory on the recommendations of DGA (Ext. & AR). Producing Cotton Sustainably (Syed Muhammad Abubakar) Pakistan is the fifth largest global cotton grower and third largest exporter of raw cotton, is among the major growers of cotton in the world. Today, Pakistan is one of the largest exporters of cotton yarn and fourth largest consumer of cotton, which makes this crop significant for Pakistan s economy. The textile industry of Pakistan comprises over 400 textile mills and 1,200 ginning units and accounts for 40 per cent of Pakistan s total labour force and nearly 60 per cent of its exports. With such a high level of production, there must be a lot of energy consumed and still a lot must have been wasted. High- energy consumption and inefficient production processes are not only increasing the cost of manufacturing but also increasing emissions in the atmosphere. The situation is also proving to be hazardous for labourers working in the sector. Therefore, measures need to taken to reduce the carbon footprint, a threat to the environment. To effectively deal with such impacts, Sustainable Agriculture Programme of WWF- Pakistan, is working to help farmers produce cotton in a sustainable way through Sustainable Cotton Production in Pakistan s Cotton Ginning Small and Medium Enterprises, Pakistan Sustainable Cotton Initiative and Better Cotton Fast Track Fund. These are to be implemented in nine regions across Pakistan from Sukkur to Jhang, involving more than 80,000 cotton farmers. Cotton waste from ginning units is also used in making sundried board by blending 40% of the waste with 60% raw paper waste. The product has proven to be more durable for use in book binding, packaging, etc. Sustainable Cotton Production and Processing (Lynda Grose) Impacts of cotton cultivation differ widely according to factors like climate, natural resources availability, pest complexes, chemical and water inputs/outputs, access to top it all, capital and farm production efficiency. Looking at the two most cited impacts of cotton production water and chemical use from a regional perspective, some interesting options and sustainable strategies emerge. Though cotton in notorious for excessive water consumption, its effect on water however takes several forms: drawing of water from water- bodies for irrigation; water contamination by Page 13 of 86

15 fertilizer and pesticide; and improper management of water. It is reliably learnt that 4% of world s arable land is abandoned owing to intensive cotton cultivation with soil salinization being the main reason (Kooistra and Termorshuizen, 2006). The most well- known case of cotton s impacts on water is in Uzbekistan where misuse and mismanagement of water has caused a social and ecological disaster. Surface water diverted for cultivation of cotton in the Araal Sea Basin reduced the sea to a fraction of its former size and the once- thriving fishing villages in the region are now surrounded by desert. Real solutions to water challenges demand knowledge of the particular region where cotton is grown. Local climate, regional natural resources, access to technology and general farm practice are just a few factors contributing to good or bad farming practices. If to the one sides, it is West Africa tropical storms bring inches ( cm) of rainwater to cotton crop (IIED, 2004; Toulmin, 2006), on the other, it is Texas where almost all cotton is dry farmed. In Brazil, 50% of cotton production comes from rain- fed farms. In these areas, the drawdown of water from local sources is not such a critical issue, despite our perception to the contrary. Profitability and Efficiency in the Cotton Ginning Industry: A Case Study from the Aegean Region of Turkey (Hakan Adanacioglu) To make a credible evaluation of cotton ginning sector, it is necessary to determine the structural characteristics of the factories, costs and profitability, the level of technical efficiency, and the potential for improvements. This study enables such an evaluation by setting out the costs, profitability and efficiency of cotton ginning industry in Turkey and other major cotton- producing countries. Results of the study show that unit production costs of ginning factories are comparatively high and that they have low operating profits. In particular, it was found that ginning factories do not operate efficiently with regard to the labour force employed and the amount of capital invested. At the same time, some suggestions have been made for the improvement of ginning factories. In this regard, attention has been drawn to adopt certain measures to increase the capacity of ginning factories and to raise the level of technology used, and ways of getting government supports, and to the topic of education. Pakistan: Environmental Impact of Cotton Production and Trade (Tariq Banuri) There has been a growing concern in industrialized countries regarding the environmental impacts of cotton production and processing. Reasons of such concerns have come under question from various southern governments and academics, given that their emergence coincided with the efforts to dismantle the single most significant trade barrier imposed explicitly by the North against the South. It seems that environment is simply another means by which the North will try to restrict southern imports and thus protect its uncompetitive textile products, (CUTS 1997). However, it is a fact that conventional production methods of cotton and textiles are associated with significant and avoidable environmental or health- related costs. Environmental costs derive from the use of pesticides and water at the primary stage and the chemicals used especially in dyeing, processing and finishing of cloth. Earlier, the motivation for the concerns was the health of farmers and workers, quality of soil and water, and local biological diversity. The signing of the GATT agreement added other concerns, in particular the affect on consumers Page 14 of 86

16 of carcinogenic dyes and chemicals and production processes resulting from inadequate environmental safeguards and standards that create a competitive disadvantage for cleaner industries in the North. Bayer CropScience s contribution to SUSTAINABLE COTTON PRODUCTION Sustainability makes perfect business sense and it will continue to be a defining characteristic of successful businesses of the future. An image commonly used to depict the three dimensions of sustainable development is The Three Pillars of Sustainable Development highlighting a) economic sustainability; b) environmental protection; and c) social responsibility. For Bayer CropScience, sustainability is achieved when The Three Pillars of Sustainable Development work in concert. Our customers range from small- scale farmers to large agricultural business operators managing thousands of hectares. As such, their needs and preferences are different. However, our vision is the same for all of them: to enable them to produce affordable and good quality food and non- food crops in a socially equitable, environmentally responsible and economically viable way. Cotton producing areas in the world: Control of Mealy Bug In some countries, farmers receive severe quality penalties due to cotton contamination with desiccated leaf material. The green leaf drop and a high level of re- growth is managed through boll openers and defoliants that contribute to a quick and simultaneous boll opening and defoliation. This allows for clean boll picking and hence ensures that both the quality and quantity of the fibre is maximized, while assuring a cleaner turnout and better price for the farmer at the gin. To facilitate mechanical harvesting, harvest aids, for example to remove leaves, are used on cotton in many countries such as the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey and Central Asia. Beside this, Bayer CropScience s harvest aids can be used as harvest management tools to schedule the harvest timing, which allows for optimal and efficient use of water, expensive machinery and labour. Market Transformation Initiative: Sustainable Cotton production in Pakistan s Cotton- ginning SMEs The project has improved understanding of small holders regarding biodiversity, interaction between beneficial and harmful organisms, minimum pesticides usage, and promoting biological pesticides to improve environment. Farmers have also learnt to use recued water, altering application techniques, and enhancing the use of biological fertilizers. Involving ginners in better cotton production through this project means reduced energy consumptions (and costs); improved ginning outturn; increased business and better returns because of improved fibre quality that ultimately lead to higher profits. Reduced dust and noise pollution and better management of cotton gin waste are the other objectives of the project that are being vigorously pursued. To top it all, reduced carbon footprint through reduced use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, is what the project aims at. Page 15 of 86

17 Cotton supply chains (Cargill) The cotton supply chain is complex as cotton is ginned, traded, spun, dyed and weaved before being turned into clothing or other products. Although cotton is a fairly resilient plant that can be grown even as a perennial in tropical climates, it requires proper agricultural practices to achieve good yields and to ensure the crop meets the quality requirements for textile production. It is also a source of important food and feed products as about two- thirds of the crop comprises the seed producing oil, meal and hulls. The oil is used in food while meal and hulls are used as livestock, poultry and fish feed. Recognizing the essential role that women will play in advancing African agriculture, we are increasing the number of female farmers in our training programs and empowering women to take leadership roles in our training schools. More than 800 Cargill Women s Clubs are giving women access to essential training and extension services, helping close the yield gap between men and women producers. Considerations of Organic Cotton Production and Ginning (Beltwide Cotton Conference) Currently the USA produce 5-8,000 bales of organic cotton and about 115,000 bales being produced worldwide. Although small compared to the overall crop (<0.1%), the production of organic cotton has been increasing recently. Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off- farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. Sustainable agriculture is an important concept but there are many misconceptions about what it is. Conventional cotton production already uses many of the organic cotton practices but environmental stewardship can continually be improved. This paper gives an overview of organic cotton in the US and its relationship to conventional cotton production, including irrigation, ginning and textile utilization practices. Free competition without sustainable development? Tanzanian cotton sector liberalization (Peter Gibbon) This article is based on fieldwork carried out in 1997/8 season on post- liberalisation changes in the Tanzanian cotton sector. Developments in primary marketing, ginning and the export trade have been reviewed and market entry by private companies has been high, leading to considerable competition and some increases in producers share of the world price. However, the real producer price and cultivation increases have not been sustained. Following changes in the input supply system, insecticide use has fallen sharply, along with the quality and underlying international price of the cotton crop. Tanzania's place in the world market has been re- defined as a producer for a specific time- based market window. This places a question mark over the sustainability of the sector's future, and by inference over policy that has emphasis on increasing competition. Page 16 of 86

18 Mid- Term Evaluation- Sustainable Cotton Production in Pakistan s Cotton Ginning SMEs- SPRING Reflect Global has conducted the Midterm Evaluation of Sustainable cotton production in Pakistan s cotton ginning SMEs (SPRING) Project, implemented by WWF. The project contributes to economic prosperity and poverty reduction in the project areas by promoting sustainable growth in the cotton sector. Reflect Global s role is to assess the overall progress of the programme against the set objectives and to evaluate the process of project implementation, to assess cotton ginning practices suitable in the selected SMEs and gauge the supply of better cotton to European Market etc. Moreover, the lesson learnt best practices, internal system i.e. approaches, accountability, efficiency, relevancy, effectiveness, and sustainability of project interventions were the necessary part of the evaluation study. The Better Cotton Initiative: Making Sustainable Cotton Mainstream? (Thomas Schueneman) Enduring the threefold challenge of economic, social and environmental issues, cotton production is often implicated as unsustainable and subject to the allure and consequence of profit at all cost. Global cotton production comes increasingly from low- wage areas of the developing world like China, India, Africa, Bangladesh and Latin America. Cotton accounts for 40 percent of global textile production, supporting the livelihoods of 300 million people or nearly 7 percent of all labor in the developing world. The scale of global cotton reflects how much we depend on it and how far removed most of us are from the effects of its production and consumption. The cotton industry reaches all the way from small- holder farmers living in poverty to the chic fashion salons of New York and Europe. According to the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) the cotton industry accounts for about 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals used worldwide. According to the World Wildlife Fund, it takes about 20,000 liters (more than 5,200 gallons) of water to produce one kilogram of cotton, roughly the cotton required to produce one T- shirt and a pair of jeans. Cotton represents 2.6 percent of the water footprint for all goods and services consumed globally. Irrigation supports 70 percent of global cotton production and, according to estimates by the Environmental Justice Foundation, 15 to 35 percent of those water withdrawals are considered unsustainable. Demand for organic and fair trade cotton mounts in the face of this environmental impact, as well as the low incomes of tens of millions of cotton farmers in the developing world. But the challenge of meeting the global scale of cotton production demands a mainstream approach for which any niche market is ill- suited. This is not to say that fair trade and organic certification programs do not play an important role, but making King Cotton sustainable, in a triple- bottom- line sort of way, requires a process that matches the scale of global impact from cotton production, using partnerships and core principles to make best practices mainstream. Page 17 of 86

19 Better Cotton The following six core elements of the Production Principles and Criteria standard stress a holistic approach to Better Cotton: 1) Better Cotton is produced by farmers who minimize the harmful impact of crop protection practices. 2) Better Cotton is produced by farmers who use water efficiently and care for the availability of water. 3) Better Cotton is produced by farmers who care for the health of the soil. 4) Better Cotton is produced by farmers who conserve natural habitats. 5) Better Cotton is produced by farmers who care for and preserve the quality of the fibre. 6) Better Cotton is produced by farmers who promote Decent Work. The Better Cotton Standard is thus a demand- driven mechanism aimed at capacity- building right at the production stage. In- field training and support help farmers reduce environmental impact while increasing efficiency and productivity. Page 18 of 86

20 Chapter- III: STUDY DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Since the study basically revolves around the sustainability of the achievements of Project, it was imperative to find evidence that would support what the Project professed. For this purpose, some of the outstanding ginners from the three cotton- producing regions Bahawalpur; Rahim Yar Khan; Sukkur were to be contacted and interviewed. This would lead to substantiate what has been severally said by the Switch Asia SPRING Project personnel at numerous occasions, at different forums, and in various reports and publications. At first stage, 30 ginners and their factories were selected that the Project considered willing enough to implement various recommendations leading to sustainable and efficient production processes besides improving factory environment from the perspective of noise and dust pollution. In this regard, complete audit of all the 30 ginning factories was conducted through the services of a highly reputable Cleaner Production Institute (CPI), Lahore. Some of the pertinent audit points designed by the CPI are given below: 1) Leakage rectification of suction duct and delivery duct 2) Introduction of conveyor belt instead of suction duct 3) Replacement/tightening of loose belts, pulleys, and shafts 4) Replacement of gin saws, gin ribs, and spacers 5) Noise reduction through and relocation of beater and separator 6) Introduction of dusk masks and ear plugs 7) Light improvement 8) Use of standard gauges 9) Improvement of power factor 10) Safety guards and railings 11) Fire fighting 12) First aid Based on the above standards, of all the 30 ginning units that implemented the recommendation set forth by the CPI, 15 were selected for the purpose of development of success stories; preferably five from each region. The Switch Asia Team developed a comprehensive programme to visit the 15 selected ginning factories. The author of this report made visits and had detailed discussions with all the entrepreneurs. Based on such discussions, and of course guidance from Switch Asia Team, success stories have been that are given towards the end of this report. Page 19 of 86

21 CHAPTER- IV: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS Some of the very pertinent achievements of the Switch Asia SPRING Project are given for the benefit of the readers. 1) Replacement and size optimization of motors 2) Improvement and optimization of machines start up procedures 3) Improvement in power factor and MDI 4) Installation of automatic voltage stabilizers and power analyzers for energy conservation resulting in 10-15% savings in use of electricity 5) Reduction of 1.5 to 2 kwh of electricity/bale produced 6) Replacement of delivery fan motor resulted in reduction of 25,000 kwh/season and a saving of about half a million PKR per season for an average ginning SMEs 7) Installation of conveyor belt instead of suction duct leading to the replacement of 75 HP motor with a 5 HP motor 8) Previously, this re- cycling was carried out by suction fan and duct system and showed energy saving of 31,451KWh/season with a monetary value of Rs.630, 000 with a very short payback period of 23 days. 9) Air velocity at suction duct was higher than required that was replaced with a reduced size of the fan resulted in saving of 15,000 kwh/season worth Rs.290,000 10) Installation of Chooser fans resulted in reducing the dust levels whereas installation of fences around moving machinery parts, guard rails on stairs, concealment of electrical wires, etc. resulted in reduced number of workplace related health risks and injuries 11) Gin saws replacement and speed optimization resulted in a 50gm per 40 kg of processed seed cotton leading to 100 additional bales at a value of Rs.2.5 million with the same quantity of raw material( seed cotton) in an average size ginning facility in 120 days ginning season 12) Electrical & mechanical efficiency resulted in reduction of 4.1 million kwh per season with the saving of more than Rs.48.5 million per season. 13) During , 363,000 tons of Better Cotton was procured by SPRING ginners to produce 116,000 tons of Lint. Consequently 682,000 bales of Better Cotton were produced Page 20 of 86

22 CHAPTER- V: SUCCESS STORIES Page 21 of 86

23 Chaudhry Abdul Ghaffar an Entrepreneur, an Institution Always dealing on his terms, a man in his early sixties, with a stented heart, small beard, round, red and smiling face, down to earth and with a passion for speaking is the pen picture that a raw hand (with an equally raw mind) like me could draw of Chaudhry Abdul Ghaffar, General Manager, Mekotex Group. After doing FA, he entered the construction business in Vehari. He shifted to Bahawalpur in 1998 and established Muhkam Ginning Factory. In 2005, he leased Mian Ginning Factory that I visited along with my friends Asad, Masood, and Abdullah. Right from the outset he made it amply clear that he does not take ginning as a trade where one purchases raw cotton from the innocent grower (at one s own terms), processes it and sells it (on his own terms). As said by one the DFOs of Punjab, We have made Forestry the art of sowing Tahli 1 and felling Tahli ; which it is not. He rather treats ginning like an art in the fashion of sculptor who shapes a raw piece of stone in to a sculpture. Or when a raw stone is chiseled and polished into ruby and diamond. Obviously, there is a tremendous amount of value- addition when raw material passes through a lot of stages. Mine is the business that has very clear and precise parameters: no cheating, no sub- standard raw material, no (deceitful) reduction in weight, and no (undue) delay in payments. And in return no supply of processed material on long- term credit. Though the market generally 1 Shisham tree Page 22 of 86

24 behaves in an unethical manner (sorry to be rude), but that s not how I deal. What if the buyer refuses to purchase lint on your terms, I interrupted. He won t. Why not? Because I supply quality product! And when you have it, you don t have just one or two buyers, rather lots of them, was his crisp reply. Enlarging the scope of dialogue (in fact, mostly monologue), I asked him about the problems with cotton in Pakistan. Looking up to the ceiling (as if the answer lied somewhere up), he said, We have no basic standardized cotton seeds according to the climatic zones of Pakistan. A seed good for Bahawalpur Zone cannot be equally good for Sukkur Zone. Then we have one of the lowest productions of cotton per unit area in the world. This needs to be increased to at least the level of India. Then, Coming back to the point, his passion for innovation, his thirst for challenges and his keenness for introducing and experimenting with new and better ginning practices are exemplary. When these guys (looking at Asad, Masood, and Abdullah) came to visit me in late 2012, they conducted a comprehensive audit of all the machines, the motors; and of course, the suction pipe. Their results of experimentation with suction duct proved that pressure was not sufficient, an obvious challenge to the skills and experience of my mistri 2 since long. How could you say that, was the question from Chaudhry Sab to visitors? Two reasons: one, a lot of leakages occur due to rusting and holes in the pipe and two, a bend. But bend is a must to increase the suction intensity, was the reply of Chaudhry Sab. They refused to agree, based on their scientific tests; and proved it later on. They also suggested removing the ailing 75 HP motor and replace it with a 50 HP motor. I did what they said. This way, not only have I saved electrical energy that is now available where it is needed the most, I have also saved costs. The Team also advised to replace loose, noise- making belts, bearings and shafts, and to improve the alignment of pulleys with the motor. We did as they said. And did it work? It did! On their advice, we are now calibrating our weighing scale every now and then. Besides using over- powered electric motors, we were also routinely rewinding our motors and Our cotton seed gets Asalfatoren that is a poison. When cotton cakes are fed to buffaloes and cows, it is transmitted to the milk. We don t mind consuming poison but the westerners do. This has resulted in the stoppage of our processed milk exports to Europe. So much so that even an international firm known for its dairy products, has stopped the import of our milk and milk products. As were others doing, his state-of-theart method of measuring the pressure inside the suction conduit to convey seed cotton to the gin stand, was the one used by his mechanic. He would hang two bricks with a rope and keep them dangling close to the inlet of suction pipe. If they swung to the inside of suction pipe, the pressure was sufficient to suck the seed cotton in. 2 Plural of mistri, they are electrical and mechanical persons with mostly no formal education and no formal training/ It s rather learning by doing, beginning as a child labor and keep on improving skills till the time they are either elevated to the position of a skilled person, or would leave and start his own workshop. Page 23 of 86

25 advised by our mistri. This way, we used to pay 40% of the total price of a new motor. As told by the Project specialists, this was also causing reduction in efficiency by 3-5% with each rewinding. So, I went for new motors with lesser power and more efficiency; once again, against the advice of mistri. To improve light intensity and to reduce energy costs, the Team advised to change the incandescent bulbs, the fluorescent lamps, even conventional energy- savors with LED 3 bulbs. As for the improvement of working environment of the factory, a team of specialists Sultan Pasha and Malik Nazir - from Center for Improvement of Working Conditions visited us. Following their advice, dust reduction was achieved within the range of 50-70% while noise was controlled to the extent of 50%. We have also installed safety The most important plus of their suggestions is that the overall production time at my factory has increased to 90% compared to 50-60% of those who have not brought changes in their conventional (and wasteful) production methods. In terms of working hours, I have added about 100 working hrs per season, because of reduced breakdown and stoppage of gin stands due to various ailments that it used to suffer from. Not anymore? Yes, not anymore! guards and railings and thus ensured the physical safety of our workers. Add to this the reduction in dust and noise level, and we have already enhanced the efficiency of our labour force. Posting sign posters where needed, has made the labourers conscious of certain dangerous acts that they had been indulging in earlier, as a matter of routine. If fibre length increases from inches (27.1 mm) to 1.1 inches (29.94 mm), the weight of cotton would increase by 3%. To calculate it for the whole of Pakistan, the total bales would increase by 450,000 bales. Assuming a market price of 850 PKR per maund, the incremental amount would be more than close to PKR 560 million PKR; a mammoth amount no doubt. What has been the estimated overall improvement in your factory, because of the changes suggested by the Switch Asia Project Team and implemented by you, was my question? The overall value addition due to suggestions given by the Project is about 10%. Item- wise, improvement in ginning quality is 30-40%; enhancement in productivity has been achieved by upto 33%; while fiber length has also increased. In terms of electricity, we used to consume kwh per bale. Now we have brought it down to 13.5 kwh per bale. If I produce 25,000 bales, I will save 1,787,500 PKR. What is it that the Project should do in addition to what it has done until now, was my last question to Chaudhry Sab. Ensure availability of seeds for different zones of cotton- growing areas and standardization of cotton grades. The former would need research and the latter, reaching out to the top policy makers of the country. And all this needs investment. Are you ready to contribute, I asked? Yes, I am! 3 Compared to Compact Fluorescents (CFLs) commonly known as energy savers (13-15 Watts/hr) that have a life span of 8,000 hrs, the Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) have 50,000 hrs, besides consuming 6-8 Watts per hr. Page 24 of 86

26 Chaudhry Ghulam Murtaza: Never tires of doing MORE A stout and (apparently) tenacious middle- aged man belonging to Yazman (Distt. Bahawalpur) who did MBA from NCBA, Lahore in 1997, was Chaudhry Ghulam Murtaza, sitting right across the table. After serving in Lahore for two years, he was called back by his ailing father to take up the business at Ideal Cotton Ginning Factory that his father had so lovingly established in Before that, his father had business at Grain Market, Yazman since As asked by his father, Chaudhry Murtaza shifted to his ancestral village and joined the Factory in Since as a grad student, he had studied Accounts and Management, he was deputed to look after both the departments of the Factory. After this brief introduction, I asked Chaudhry Sab to tell me about his career at this factory and how he proceeded along. And so he started: Back in September 2012, Masood, Abdullah and their colleagues from Cleaner Production Institute (CPI) visited our factory and explained the purpose of their visit. Like a seasoned businessman, I sensed that I was not going to lose anything but might gain something from what they profess they intend to do. So, I encouraged them to again visit the Factory while it was functional and check anything and everything that they thought needed improvements, changes, etc. How many days did they do the audit of your factory, I asked? I think four days but from 10 to 10, he said; making Abdullah in good mood, obviously. Page 25 of 86

27 When finally, they developed a comprehensive audit report with complete gap analysis including mechanical, electrical, and environmental deficiencies that they could pinpoint in the Factory, they came to me to explain what they did. And did they find something to have raised concerns, I was curious? Yes! Major faults detected by them related to air leakages in air pressure required to suckle seed- cotton, power leakages, over- powered electric motors, naked wires with frequent manual joints, dangling at the mercy of I don t know who, absence of safety enclosures and stair railings and noise and air laden with cotton dust. Being a conservation- based organization, WWF- Pakistan, through Switch Asia Project, must have conveyed its concern about occupational health and safety. Have you done anything in that regard, I asked? Well, before the visit of Switch Asia team, our workers had no ear plugs and dust- masks and left at the deafening mercy of cranking machines and forced to inhale cotton- laden Can you tell me about the bales that you produced earlier and those that you produced in season? I asked hesitantly (manufacturers generally don t share such information). With no hesitation, he agreed to let me know. In season, we produced 16,000 bales in 120 days. In season, we produced 18,000 bales but in 110 days. The former comes to bales per day while the latter amounts to Our saving of electricity cost was 1.2 to 1.4 million PKR for this past season. Because of increase in his business volume by 2,000 bales generated extra revenue of about PKR 11 million. air, with almost zero visibility. Moreover, pulleys were disoriented and non- aligned and belts were loose making very unhealthy and monotonous noises. Now, when told by the Switch Asia Team, we have provided them with dust masks and earplugs. What about fire hydrants? I asked. We had no proper fire hydrants and no chemical fire extinguishers, though cotton is a combustible material that burns within no time. Now we have a complete system of fire hydrants in place. Contrary to the general perception, that bend in the conduit pipe increases air pressure it rather reduces air pressure. To compensate for the loss of power, our mistries had installed 75 HP motors; far in excess of the required power. By just removing the bend and plugging the air leakages, our lint production increased by 8-10% for the same labour force and lesser energy inputs. And with that there was a simultaneous reduction in input costs as well. We are now able to produce bales/hr more than what we used to produce earlier. Sensing increase in productivity, we established another gin stand and now we have six of them. For the same inputs, was my question? For the same inputs; was his reply! Before their visit, we were contented with locally made gin saws costing us about 100 PKR apiece. We used to keep on filing the saws till their diameter reduced by 5-7mm. On the advice of Switch Asia Team, we went for the German brand KKK that is imported in sheet roll form, cut to sizes in Karachi and marketed for about 330 PKR apiece. Page 26 of 86

28 By bringing the suction fan out of the ginning hall, we were able to reduce the power of electric motor from 75 HP to 50 HP. With that, not only did the energy consumption decrease, the noise and dust levels also considerably decreased. This year, I plan to replace the conduit with conveyor belt, as advised by the Switch Asia Team. I will install it outside the main ginning hall. This will not only reduce noise pollution in the factory but will considerably reduce the energy costs as well. I also plan to replace the older fluorescent and the conventional energy- savers with newer LED lights. This will not only reduce energy costs further but will also provide better and soothing light in the factory and will have a very positive impact on human mind; psyche rather. As has always happened, change is something that we all are itchy about. Nobody wants to be the first to jump in to unknown waters. But like wildebeest and Zebras of Serengeti National Park (Tanzania), someone has to take the lead to cross over to the greener pastures. With the introduction of new gin saw, not only the yield increased but the proportion of short fiber also decreased. So, we now have greater production and with that, enhanced production efficiency. We also have better quality lint having greater proportion of long fiber. Any special thing that resulted in improved productivity, efficiency and environmental improvement besides the reduction in carbon footprint. Well, he said hesitantly, I have leased another factory and would like the same team to do what they did here. This is also the multiplier effect, I said to myself; and with that, the guarantee of the success of Switch Asia Project has further increased. Had there been no Switch Asia Project, there would not have been so many improvements in the cotton ginning sector and those too with not much cost to the owners but a lot of savings everywhere. Even the small amounts incurred on changes, adjustments, and replacements, are causing savings in energy: the energy saved, will be available where it is needed the most. And the carbon footprint, that was so rampant, would now be reduced. It is a win- win situation for WWF- Pakistan, the cotton ginning factories, and to top it all, reduction in the carbon footprint of Pakistan. And that is what the Project aims at. Page 27 of 86

29 Ch. Muhammad Rafiq: an Embodiment of Courage and Persistence A man with a long flowing jet- blacked beard, in his mid- forties, wearing ordinary bluish (cotton) clothes, unlike typical Seths, sitting in a 10 x12 office, on an ordinary chair with an equally ordinary table with a few scattered papers, with no computer and air- conditioner, was hardly a situation to encourage me to dig out a success story. A success story? Pooh! Cursing myself (in fact, Asad Imran) to have put in this jeopardy, I unwillingly (obviously!), had to thank (?) Chaudhry Sab of M. Sadique Cotton Industries, Bahawalpur, forraaaa and threw the ball in his court to tell us something about his life and his career. And so he started (and I pretended to be attentive; honest!): The nearest road to my village Moaza Pakka (Distt. Bahawalpur) in any direction, was good ten kilometers. Our agricultural land was barely sufficient to sustain even a modest living. I could hardly reach eights class that I had to say quits to education. Sensing difficult time not going anywhere, my elder brother suggested starting business. And so we established a modest diesel and kerosene outlet. Being equally (if not more) poor, the people of our village and the surrounding localities started bartering oil for cotton, the main cash crop of the area. We kept on limping with this business till Thereafter, we got an opportunity and opened a shop in Khanqah Sharif and so joined the cotton business in the sense of traders. In 1994, we purchased 125,000 maunds 4 cotton and made a handsome profit. To progress further in cotton trade, I requested al- Hafiz Cotton Ginners to let my seed- cotton be linted and baled at his press. That was back in Perceiving (imagined) difficulties for himself and fearing competition, the ginner kept on discouraging me and tried to shoo me out of the very idea of cotton business. The more he insisted to give it up, the more was my resolve to go for it. After my conscientious and persistent insistence, he grudgingly agreed to bale my cotton; after he had baled all of his cotton though. I stored my 800 baled lint cotton at his factory waiting for its disposal. Meanwhile, he sold all of his cotton and kept on promising the sale of my cotton tomorrow. That tomorrow never arrived even when he had sold all of his cotton but had seen that I had no intention to remove my bales. Meanwhile, I made a deal with a broker and sold my entire stock through him. That was June in He did pay me my money back but after good two 4 One maund is 40kg Page 28 of 86

30 years. Limping ahead on that bumpy road of cotton trade, I had resolved that one day, I will have my own ginning facility. To be honest with you, my valued reader, I felt abashed and started quickly changing my opinion about Chaudhry Rafiq. I kept on justifying his looks and his environment and all the negative feelings and impressions that I had developed about him during the first few minutes of our meeting. In 2013, when brokers showed preference for BCI- approved cotton, I got my factory registered with BCI. This was suggested by Muhammad Latif, a member of Sustainable Development Organization (SDO). And now, it was my turn: just when and how you came to know about Switch Asia SPRING Project, I asked. This was the sentence that broke the continuity of the stunning story of a man with (almost) no education, no skills, no resources, no linkages, and no adviser but had a very strong attribute: Resolve. It was also Latif, who he said told me about the Switch Asia SPRING Project, was his short response; without looking at Asad, Masood, or Abdullah for a nod. Actually, he is such a simple man that he hardly understands the vagaries of table talk. Coming back to the story, Chaudhry Rafiq said that at long last that fateful moment arrived in 1998 when he leased 50% share in Rajput Cotton Factory located at Musafir Khana and produced 6,000 bales the same year. Then in 2004, he leased Bukhari Cotton Factory at Kalanch Wala. In 2008, he leased another factory - Awaisi Cotton Factory at Khanqah Road. And finally, his dream came true, when in 2011 he established Sadiq Industries, Khanqah Sharif and gave up the last leased factory. Now he is the proud owner of a hard-won battle against all odds: all the praise and glory for Chaudhry Muhammad Rafiq. And just when did the Project people contact you, was my second question. That was the end of 2013, or early It was early 2014, interrupted Abdullah. When they contacted me and I listened to Abdullah, first due to courtesy, and later because what he said, had sense, I agreed to cooperate, said Chaudhry Sab. Soon Abdullah visited us again but this time, along with a team of specialists in electrical, mechanical and environmental affairs, a team deputed by the Cleaner Production Institute (CPI). The very first thing that they suggested was to remove the bend of the suction duct of delivery fan. When my electrical foreman heard this, he looked at me with disbelief (bordering on mistrust) and said, How could these youngsters, wearing pants and with no experience can challenge my knowledge of decades? But since I was convinced of what they said, I went ahead with their proposal. This way not only the air pressure increased, and with that suction of seed- cotton, it also reduced load on the electric motor. Consequently, electricity consumption reduced from 67 Amperes to 52: a 29% decrease. The Switch Asia Team also suggested giving up the sharpening of gin- saws and said that instead, always use a new one and a branded one. When my head mistri came to know about this (and sensed that if that happens, he will be relieved), he vehemently opposed the idea. They want to rob you of your hard- earned money. They are agents of Wilayaiti 5 gin- saws and want more and more saws sold so that they could collect more and more commission, was what he said. But what was wrong with sharpening of gin- saws, was my question, and just what did you do? I remained unmoved, said Chaudhry Sab. 5 Wilayati in fact means from London: a crude equivalent of imported gin saws Page 29 of 86

31 Because this way, proportion of lint fiber length would increase, output would enhance and better price would be offered, was the explanation by Abdullah. Moreover, we used to have 92 ( 234cm) wire to wrap around a bale but now, we have 114 ( 290cm). We could do it by increasing the size of ginning press. And then, instead of one shower, we provide two showers to cotton to keep the acceptable level of 9% moisture retained. Anything else that the Switch Asia Team told you and you did? Well, last season, I changed ribs also. And this year, GOT increased to 14.6 kg per maund. And now, I plan to produce 18,200 bales in season. This will add 450 additional bales to my inventory. At Rs.25,000 per bale, I plan to get a hefty additional income of PKR million. This will happen due to the additional input of just 275,000 PKR for the purchase of gin- saws and 400,000 PKR on the purchase of better ribs. I also plan to replace suction duct with conveyor belt. This way, instead of 75, I will Just by the removal of bend in delivery pipe and the use of imported saws, not only increased our lint production from an average of 7.2 bales/hr to 10 but our GOT also increased from 14.2 to 14.5 kg per maund. By adopting all these measure, I had been able to save PKR 2,500,000. Moreover, I made an extra amount of Rs.450 per bale. And this was only because I maintained the 9%. For 17,500 bales that I produced, I made an additional amount of PKR 7,800,000. And how much did you spend to make so much additional money? A small amount of PKR 2,600,000 was his response. need HP motor. Now don t tell me that this too was the advice of Switch Asia Team, I asked jokingly. On the contrary, it is exactly what they advised. I looked at Asad and Abdullah and both of them nodded in agreement. Let me tell you one more thing. Due to permanent shortage of electricity, I like others, had rented a generator for 200,000 PKR per month. That being an old generator not only consumed more Diesel but remained quite frequently non- functional. Though maintenance was the responsibility of vendors but I had to suffer frequent loss of working hours. I was also told by the Team that vendors deliberately keep the flow of Diesel more than required. This way, they keep the load off the generator and on the customer. So as suggested by the Team, I purchased a second- hand generator for 2,500,000 PKR that are available in Karachi. Such generators are removed from old cargo ships by the ship breakers. Let me also share an interesting happening with you. A lot of people have purchased second- hand generators from Karachi. None is even half as good as mine. And it works wonders. May be God was especially kind to this innocent but resolute man, I said to myself. May be, was the response from my inner- self. After listening to his incredible story, a story that does not need to be pre- fixed with the word success, my perception had changed to observation. Feeling mortified of how lowly an image I had developed in my mind about him, I relieved myself by telling the truth to my friends Asad, Masood, and Abdullah and frankly accepting my misgivings; as good Samaritans call it confessions. If a man of very meagre financial resources, with (almost) no education and no prior knowledge or experience of a very complicated business, can do what he did, it must have been something deep inside him that kept on inspiring him not to lose heart, not to lose faith in Page 30 of 86

32 his efforts, not to lose faith in the acts of God, and to be persistent and resolute in his endeavours. Great! Congratulations Rafiq and congratulations Switch Asia Team that kept on hammering the message of sustainability, innovation, efficiency, productivity, and improvements at a cost hardly a fraction of what he earned within one season. Page 31 of 86

33 Chaudhry Muhammad Tanveer: There is always MORE to be done The moment I entered the premises of Chenab Cotton Ginners, Unit 4, Rahim Yar Khan, I found myself in another world. A world of singing birds, lush green lawns, huge shady trees strictly forbidding even a ray of that merciless Sun of June, that has been wreaking havoc with the world outside. The person deputed to receive us wanted us to go in to the air- conditioned office but I waived in disagreement. I wanted that we sit under that shady tree. I also wished to remove my shoes, lay down on the cot waiting to receive me but protocol came my way and I had to suppress my urge of laying down there. After settling in the comfort of a chair, I looked around and had to appreciate his penchant and craving for nature. A male peacock spreading his huge tail majestically appeared to be welcoming us. Add to it the luxury of a swimming pool and whatever deficiency (if at all) was left in making the environment perfect, was plugged in. This was the neat and surrounding that made me jealous (I don t envy!) of the environment unheard of, especially in cotton ginning factories notoriously known to be untidy; if not outright dirty. Meanwhile, Chaudhry Sab, after attending to his already scheduled business meeting, came out to say hello to us and to excuse him for being somewhat late. But Chaudhry Sab, the ginning season is not yet on, so how could there be this business meeting, I asked in a light mood. Well, since I provide one of the best cotton, so brokers are always keen to know as to how much cotton they could get the next season. After his brisk reply, he too offered to go inside the office but I told him that frankly, I feel more at ease here than there. He signaled the attendant to bring out a pedestal fan but I told him not to. It s so pleasant over here, Chaudhry Sab and so, by appreciating his love for nature, I (hoped) that I had managed to win over him by one sweeping statement. Making him feel good, Abdullah briefly explained the purpose of my visit. The WWF- Ps representative, Sajid who had arranged this meeting, made some further clarifications and on we went. Clearing my throat, I requested him to tell us something about his past, his career, his association with cotton ginning, and finally, what the Switch Asia Project proposed and what he actually did to improve so many things in the factory. And on he went: Page 32 of 86

34 When the Switch Asia Team visited us, I said to myself that they, like so many others, would come, sit, talk (boastfully) high, eat (sumptuously) and promise to soon come again, never to return. Expecting nothing and loosing nothing, I however agreed though hesitantly to meet them. To test their knowledge and to see if they knew the problems that we faced, I said that we had low voltage problem. After checking the voltage at various points, they suggested to get a customized voltage stabilizer that would cost you about PKR 400,000 to 500,000. But then you will never have the problem of drop in voltage, said they. But how could I be compensated for that handsome spending, he asked the visiting team. Let s calculate it, the team said. Assuming 8 hr work loss and 10 bales per hr would mean a loss of 80 bales per day. The factory used to produce 231 bales in 22.5 hrs that amounted to bales per hr. Now, the Factory runs for 22 hrs and produces 265 bales. This comes out to 12 bales per hr, or 34 bales per day over and above the previous production. This would just be because of the voltage stabilization. And what about the damages that might have been occurring to your entire electrical system, I asked. That has not been considered, he said. Now coming back to the background of my business, we started as commission agents in grain market of Rahim Yar Khan. In 2001, we leased Chenab Cotton Ginners. As was the practice, we also rented a generator. We were told by the wise men of the Factory that since ginning runs for six months so why to invest in a generator that would remain idle for the rest of six months. Apparently that made sense. The rented generator was of 600 kw, consuming 75-80l Diesel per hr. On their advice, I purchased an efficient and required size generator that consumes 57l Diesel per hr. Saving18l each hr and 216l per 12- hr day and 180 days per season, would amount to PKR million per season; far more than the price of a generator. Then all the electric cables have been changed and next year, I plan to put them underground. This way, the danger of short- circuiting that may cause fire to the highly combustible seed cotton would be (almost) completely eliminated. One thing more, that we did, is interesting. And it was my own thinking. But you were already sensitized by the Switch Asia Team about innovation and change, I interrupted. So the credit must also go to them. No? Well of course yes, agreed the Chaudhry Sab. Earlier, we used to have 100 gin saws per gin stand. After replacing spacers with better ones, I found space for some more gin saws and now, we have 103 saws per shaft. Let s look at its implications. Earlier we used to produce 265 bales per hr. Now we get 273 bales. In By adopting innovative means of production, as advised by the Switch Asia Team, and by changing all the gin saws, ribs, and spacers, we produced 400,000 maunds of extra cotton. Assuming a net saving of Rs.20/maund, would amount to 8,000,000 PKR. one season of 180 days, we now produce 1,440 additional for the same energy and the same labour input. And again, I had to think loud and said to myself: had there been no Switch Asia Project, there would not have been the exposure of these potentially enterprising gin owners to innovations and adaptation. It s only because of them that today even the owners of the most traditional industrial sector have been made to accept change, to innovate, and to adapt to the changing environment. Page 33 of 86

35 On the human welfare side, the Project experts suggested to get the drinking water tested for possible pathogens and impurities. We tested our water at a lab in Rahim Yar Khan, said Chaudhry Sab. The results were horrible. I immediately ordered a water plant and now we have one of the best waters out of one of the worst waters. During our visit, he demonstrated that the local water was impure, but now it has been controlled. Let me also add Sir, said Abdullah, that this water is available not only to the factory workers but people of the surrounding localities also come and take it for drinking purposes. And one question that came instantly to my mind was: What if the Government stops constructing healthcare units where in fact a doctor or even a staff member is hardly seen, or where there is hardly any medicine, and instead, provide clean drinking water and avoid 90% of the diseases emanating from the use of unhealthy drinking water? On the advice of Switch Asia Team, we have provided dungarees, ear plugs and masks to our staff and to the factory workers. We hope that with this, accidents like loose shirt dangling in a machine, far less inhalation of dust, and far less impact of noise on their ears, besides the provision of clean drinking water not only to the workers but to the people living around, would go a long way in improving environmental conditions within the Factory and a comfort for the people of nearby localities. Any impact of your efforts and changes that might have served as a role model for others to emulate, I asked. Well, recently, ten ginners have requested me to import gin saws, ribs, and space blocks for them. This is what we call the multiplier effect that had been possible due to efforts of Switch Asia Project and the message that it has spread regarding improvement in ginning efficiency, productivity, costs reduction, stoppage of wasteful expenses, labour welfare, environmental improvement, carbon sequestration, etc. When he was done, I made a request to Chaudhry Sab: would you allow a student or a group of students to conduct a thorough research to measure the exact impact of innovations and improvements in its entirety? Yes, was his crisp reply! Though not directly related to the Factory affairs, but being a philanthropist, each Friday, he slaughters a buffalo and makes rice polao in its meat and offers it to all those who come to the Factory. This happens after Friday prayers. Page 34 of 86

36 Choith Mal: always ready to adopt INNOVATION When a person commands respect and enjoys confidence of his bosses, he is given the liberty to run the affairs of a business. Choith Mal is one such person who is now all- in- all at GNS Cotton Mills, Sukkur. After a brief introduction and a quick narrative of the purpose of our visit by Saeen Touheed, I addressed him and thanked him for allowing us time to speak to him in detail about his career and his achievements and of course, the improvements and changes that were brought in the Factory because of the advice and guidance of Switch Asia Team. And so he started: After completing DAE in Electrical Engineering, I joined Shah Cotton Factory at Bhirya in In 2005, I shifted to the present Factory. The BCI Team made its first visit to our Factory in This was followed by a visit of Switch Asia Team in late Before their visit, I neither had any idea of the problems that ginning factories faced nor ever bothered as to what was going on in the Factory. And the things were running in a typical business as usual routine. The first thing that the Team targeted was the wasteful consumption of electricity, through the use of over- powered motors; we had the electric motors in the range of HP. On their recommendations, and in spite of fierce resistance by our electrical technicians, we replaced all such motors with 50 HP motors. This way, our MDI came down from 350 to the range of and as such, we were able to save 150, ,000 PKR in just one month. This amounted to Rs.900,000 to 1,200,000 PKR in one season. And how much did you pay for the new electric motors, I asked. Rs.600,000. So you broke even within months of the new investment? Yes, we did! And what about the motors that were replaced, I asked. We stored all those motors to be used in an emergency. Page 35 of 86

37 Then came the gin saws, space blocks (spacers) and gin ribs and we changed all of them with the standard ones as advised by the Switch Asia Team. How much did all this cost you? All this changes cost us 900,000 PKR. And what are the benefits that you could derive out of all these changes and inclusions, I asked? The machines became far less noisy while the output of lint increased. For example, earlier, we produced bales per day. After these modifications and replacements, we are now producing bales per day. And this comes to bales per day; a large increase in productivity for the same amount of energy and labour costs. With the introduction of improved gin saws, almost no cotton is left wrapped around the cotton seed. This way, not only has the GOT increased, but the loss of oil that used to be absorbed in the vascular cotton cells, is no more happening and no more losses. Thus the mere changing of gin saws, we hardly lose any precious working time, resources and production losses. Moreover, with the changed gin saws that are far more silent (owing to far better workmanship and quality), we have considerably reduced noise and dust, both so injurious to human health. Thus the mere change of gin saws, there has been has a multiplier effect. And just how much was the increase in oil recovery, I asked? Up to 1.5%, was the answer. But does that make much difference, I was curious. Converting it to Rupee term, he said, an additional amount of 110,000 PKR are now being netted per season. Choith Mal also said that besides increase in oil production, not only the labour required to clean the seeds of cotton remnants, the quality of seed cakes has also improved and with that, its price. Earlier, we had local gin saws that we used to file every now and then. This was done by two specialist mechanics whose only job was keep on filing the gin saws. And when filing was in progress, machines would remain idle and so would be the labourers. This was a sort of unnecessary burden that we had to carry resulting in loss of resources, productivity, quality, and time. Just after changing gin saws and because of the fact that we were no more going to file saws, we found the presence of those two mechanics redundant. Since they too were uneasy with the new arrangement and sensing that sooner or later, they will be relieved, we decided to relieve them both to which both of them agreed. Just because of their removal from the jobs, we saved 132,000 PKR per season. Because of all these changes and modifications, workers are now very happy with the reduced level of noise that has decreased from 95 to 86 Db; though still not low enough but far better than the earlier noise. Then the alignment of pulleys and play- less belts have also reduced the noise level within the factory with no more greasing and oiling that used to take time (and money) and material. Even when such small costs are brought together, the overall outcome in terms of savings and environmental improvement becomes phenomenal. What else did they tell you, I looked at Saeen Touheed. Earlier we had cotton feed box of 2 x3 size. Since our lint production had increased, the box size was unable to cope with the inflow. On their recommendations, we doubled the box size. This way, there is a smooth intake of cotton with no wait and so no loss of time; and costs. Any plans to shift from the conventional suction duct to conveyor belt? Though suction system is still in place but the beater that was located down has been raised to reduce load on motor besides achieving reduction in noise. Page 36 of 86

38 Then, on the advice of Switch Asia Team, we have installed railings and fencings anywhere we were told that these were needed. This way, we have increased the safety level of our workers. It also has a multiplier effect and I tell you how: With safe factory environment, there are now far lesser chances of fatal accidents. And with that, far lesser costs to the factory and to the families and far less pain and agony to the person and to his family. And finally, awareness level has been raised and now instead of trade, we treat ginning as an industry. We also tried to develop export system on our own but without the cooperation of APTMA, we may never succeed. Unless that happens, we will hardly be able to get good price for good quality cotton in the export market. One of my suggestions to WWF- P through Switch Asia Project would be to somehow create an environment of understanding and goodwill between the ginners and the big men of the textile industry. This may not be possible unless the Government intervenes. Though I felt less burdened after leaving the factory premises but felt gloomy for the state of affairs in the ginning sector: the state of affairs that is far beyond the control of the lobby- less ginners and the state of affairs that is literally controlled by the big business. Page 37 of 86

39 Mian Waheed Arshad: GOOD of the nation is my good as well A serious- looking well- built entrepreneur in his early forties, who doesn t seem to be satisfied by associating with just one business, Seth Waheed Arshad of Mian Cotton Ginning, Pressing, and Oil Mills, Bahawalpur, is the managing partner of the business. He in himself is a man of tastes and preferences and rather remains in the forefront of any business that he is involved with. He remained the Vice Chairman of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association and as such, was fully aware of all that was happening (and happening not well) in the cotton ginning sector. When I introduced myself and told him that I have been deputed to write success stories of some selected Level- 1 entrepreneurs and that your name has been suggested to be one of them, he looked visibly impressed; and elated. I also told him that once I am done with the stories, I will send the whole script to the Project Office at Khanewal and after getting feedback from Asad and his team, I will re- do the scripts and send it back to them expecting that your story is shared with you so that you know what I have written about you. If you feel that I have mentioned something that you did not say, or that I have missed something significant that you said, you have the discretion to include or do whatever you want to with the draft script. It may also happen that there was something that you should have said, but you did not, for any reason, you would have the right to include it in your story. When that happens, only then the Project would publish the success stories in the form of a booklet and provide a few copies to you (both in English and Urdu) for your use. Or if you want to share the booklet with anyone, you would be most welcome. With that somewhat long (shall I say) speech, I requested him to tell me all that he would like to share with me, about his career, his successes and his failures, if any. He readily agreed. As you might know, these people (looking at Asad, Masood and the omni- present Abdullah) came to the ginning factory in late 2012 and explained the purpose of their visit. And when they said that they would do it free of charge, I was perplexed and I said to myself, Why on earth would someone do something for someone without any personal benefit? Since I could not figure out anything that could apparently convince me of some bad intentions or purpose of the visitors, I agreed to let them do whatever they wanted to. They worked day and night and Page 38 of 86

40 after three grueling working days, came up with a comprehensive audit report. And when they explained what was going on in the factory, I looked at them with disbelief. But when they showed me practically the flaws, I had no reason not to trust them. The very first thing that came under the guillotine was the beater that was installed inside the factory and used to create noise of unacceptable levels. It was readily dismantled and installed outside in the open yard. Earlier, when the beater was inside the factory building, I had a 75 HP motor installed on the suction duct. Now I have a paltry motor of mere 10 HP on the conveyor belt. With that one action, the consumption of electricity reduced to 3 kwh per bale, compared to 16 kwh earlier. If Mian Sab saves 3 kwh electricity per bale, costing PKR 20 per kwh and he produces 30,000 bales per season, he saves a cool amount of PKR million. And with that single action, noise and dust levels have decreased appreciably in the factory. Moreover, since the conveyor belt moves in the open, it is easy to check the moisture content of the rolling phutti. But how much was the level of noise before the visit of Switch Asia Team, I enquired. At the feeding beater, 93.8; at gin stand, a deafening db; and at bale press, 105.4, he said. Even in my office that is good 150m away from the factory, it was 75.2 db. By comparison, permissible noise levels for up to 8 hr work in a factory should not be more than be 85 db. And for the noise level touching about 109, a human being should not be exposed to it for more than two minutes. Imagine what would have been the status of labourers who were exposed to db for up to 12 hrs daily. Then came the gin saws. According to their judgment, locally manufactured gin saws were not only inefficient they were causing degradation in lint quality as well. As advised by the Switch Asia Team, I replaced the entire lot of gin saws. By doing so, not only the fibre quality has improved but the production efficiency has also increased considerably. Did you profit from the better and longer fiber cotton, I mean in monetary terms? No, but now my product is picked up quicker than before and it shows two things: one, I have won over the confidence of the purchasers whoever they might be; and two, my product is out of the factory gates the moment I produce it. So my capital does not remain blocked and keep on rolling in and out, without constraining my finances. Likewise, I was also advised to change the spacers and ribs also. I did accordingly. Before making changes, adjustments and modifications in the gin stand regarding gin saws, space blocks, and ribs, the speeds at all the five gin stands varied between 648 and 698 rpms. When we changed the old grueling gin saws, old worn out pulleys, and changed some and tightened the other belts, the rpms now oscillate between 725 and 750. Then, walls of the factory were grey or even if whitewashed, it was probably done years ago. On the advice of Switch Asia Team, I immediately put the people to whitewash the factory. With that, the look of factory entirely changed giving a soothing sensation. This was bound to have a good impact on workers. Then, on their advice I removed all the bulbs and fluorescent tubes and instead installed LED lights. Those not only give better light but reduce the energy consumption considerably. Since minor accidents do occur on almost daily basis, they advised me to arrange a first- aid box. I got the box and they trained a boy on how to administer first aid. Page 39 of 86

41 We had hardly any precautionary measures adopted to reduce the risk of accidents. But now, we have fenced all the moving parts, sharp edges, rotating parts, etc. We have also installed railings along the stairs within the factory. This has considerably reduced the risk of accidents and casualties. And finally when I asked him as to what was it that he liked about the Project people, the most, he said: their ceaseless efforts and dedication to the cause of environment, productivity, efficiency, better cotton, peoples welfare, and the overall improved ginning practices. One of the strongest points of Mian Sab that I found was that his factory can be presented as a role model to those who are still hesitant in deciding about the adoption of suggestions as put forward by the Switch Asia Spring Project Team. It could also be one the fewer other factories that could be visited by the EU team, if it ever showed interest in doing so. Page 40 of 86

42 Muhammad Haroon: Down to Earth As is my habit, I never reach in time; I always try to reach before time. Accordingly, we reached a little earlier, and were ushered in the cool environment of a visitors room where we were seated on a carpet with pillows behind our backs and asked to relax till the arrival of Seth Sab. After a while, Seth Muhammad Haroon arrived. Thanking him for coming to the factory on our request, though he had no ginning in progress, Seth Haroon was first briefed by Sajid about the purpose of our visit. When done, I requested him to tell me something about all the changes brought in your factory, as advised by the Switch Asia men - Masood, Abbas, Sajid and Abdullah - to improve not only ginning productivity and efficiency but also to contribute to labour welfare besides making the local environment relatively pollution- free; the mainstay of WWF- Pakistan. Being a thorough gentleman, he rather thanked us for visiting him and assured his full support in providing us whatever information we needed. And so he began. Back in 2008, I leased this factory - Abdullah Cotton Factory, Sadiqabad - and after two years, purchased it. Then, it had 30 years old gin stands and we never thought that there was any problem with these (outdated) machines. That was towards the end of 2012 that Switch Asia Team visited us. After normal pleasantries and after explaining the purpose of their visit, they offered to perform a detailed audit of the factory and to suggest improvements in its functions and efficiency. Without trusting much of what they said, but since they had come a long way from as far away place as Lahore, courtesy demanded that I let them do what they wanted to do. And so they started their work: factory audit. Sensing loss of jobs, all the technical staff, mostly illiterate, and being trained by equally illiterate ustads 6, strongly resisted any intrusion from the pants- wearing outsiders. But since I was at the back of visitors, I prevailed, said the Seth Sab. And so the team started audit. When I was briefed about their findings, I was dumbfounded and felt extremely sorry for the precious 6 Teachers providing no theoretical knowledge but putting youngsters first as helping hands and later, as semi- technical men Page 41 of 86

43 time and resources that I had been wasting since long and repenting over the losses that I had been incurring just because of the ignorance of my so- called technical staff. Before starting with the proposed changes, my technical staff warned me that if anything goes wrong after these pant- patloon people do in the factory, we will not be responsible. And I agreed. But even then, when the head electrician resisted, I relieved him. This was a signal to others to either stay put or be ready to be shown the door. They kept silent. As advised by the Switch Asia team, we stared with the replacement of 75 HP motor at the suction duct with a 50 HP motor. This way, my electricity consumption came down from 85 Amp to 42. Then I had a double beater having two motors. They told me to remove one motor of 15 HP. This way, my total electricity consumption reduced from 350 Amp to 231 Amp. And just how much an Amp costs, I asked. According to my calculations, one Amp costs Rs.20,000 per ginning season. For 231 Amp, I made a net saving of PKR 2,380,000 in just one season. This amount was far more than what I invested on the advice of Switch Asia Team. Earlier, we had serious problems with WAPDA regarding Power Factor and any month going above the Maximum Demand Indicator (MDI), would cause us fines. On the advice of Switch Asia Team, I have installed automatic relay that adjusts the Power Factor automatically and now we pay no fines. To improve the distribution of electricity, we were asked to install capacitors. Moreover, the dangling electric cables, right above the seed- cotton heaps, was a permanent danger of short- circuiting and fires. Now we have them underground, safe from human intrusion, accidental fires, and damages to material and property. Then were the problems with mechanical side: with gin saws, ribs, and with space blocks. Since status quo was what went in their interest, besides guaranteeing their sway over mechanical affairs of the machines, once again there was serious resistance from the head mechanic. When I remained adamant, he opted to resign than to stay put. I agreed. But it must have been a difficult decision when you lost two top men of the factory, I asked. Yes, but I knew that all that was being proposed by the Switch Asia Team, and done by me as advised, had sense. So, I didn t care much above their leaving the factory. What about the cotton contamination that occurs, for example what you call sangli right at the picking stage, I asked. There is least contamination that occurs in my cotton, said he. How so? Because I have my own cotton farms and have instructed the pickers to start picking after 10:00 a.m.: when the dew and other moisture evaporates. Then my pickers are not allowed to dump seed- cotton over the farmland. They have rather to spread a sheet to stack the collected deed seed- cotton. The Switch Asia Team always advises to use conveyor belt instead of suction conduit to move seed cotton to the beater and on to the saw gin, I said. Have they not advised you because I don t see the conveyor belt in your yard? Yes, they did but then I don t have sufficient space for the conveyor belt. We have however already acted on their advice and removed bend in the pipe and plugged the leakages because of rusting and damages due to other reasons. Now we have sufficient pressure and far less energy need to perform the job far better than before. Page 42 of 86

44 And what about the dust and noise, I asked. As for dust pollution, I have increased the height of dust collection chamber and established 30ft tall chimneys over it such that (almost) clean air oozes out while the cotton and seed particles that are heavier settle down on the floor. So, I have done what I was advised to do, to control pollution. Moreover, they wanted me to provide earplugs and dust masks to the labourers working in the factory. This way, the psychological impact on their minds because of noise, that they were exposed to and the dust that they used to inhale have been greatly controlled. Earplugs are okay but don t they have problem with dust masks, I asked enquiringly. Seth Sab took a while, looked at the Switch Asia Team, and said yes, they do have problem with masks. But then people have problems wearing pants when they do it for the first time. With masks, as I know, they feel somewhat suffocated. So I asked the Switch Asia Team for their advice. And they said that you may let them wear masks for some time and then let them remove and reuse again for a while. This way, one day, they will get accustomed to using dust masks. And now we are doing it that way. What about fire- fighting? Well, under the guidance of Switch Asia Team, we have established fire hydrants and our staff has been trained by them in its use. I hope that God forbid, if that eventuality occurs, our men would be ready to fight it back, effectively. To wrap it up, I asked him if there was anything else that he would like the Switch Asia Project to do. Help me in the up- gradation of my decades old ginning machines, was his crisp and short reply. Now obviously that is outside the purview of the Switch Asia Project, even WWF- Pakistan. However, there is no harm in putting it in the recommendations that I will be doing as part of the consultancy. What else is still needed that you might like to do? Motor of the delivery fan needs to be changed from 42 to 32 Amp and the motor on suction fan from 75 to 58 Amp. Both of these motors would cost me ,000 PKR. In return, however, I will be able to save 27 Amp that would amount to PKR 54,000 in just one season. Page 43 of 86

45 Muhammad Ikram: Never tires of doing MORE While passing through the desolate landscape of Sukkur Region and turning on the road to Insaf Cotton Ginners at Saleh Patt, one immediately feels that he is in a different environment. Thanks to the aesthetic sense of Seth Prakash Kumar and his equally environment- conscious neighbor Pinku Lal Bajaj for providing such a soothing environment on the way to their factories. Being a very busy man hardly available to look after the ginning factory, Seth Sab has ensured that his business is in safe and equally competent hands. And that s why, when we reached the Factory, we were greeted by a smiling and humble Ikram, his second- in- command. After exchanging pleasantries, Sain Touheed Ghani told him about the purpose of my visit. I told Ikram that the Switch Asia Project plans to spread the message of improved cotton ginning techniques not only within the country, but abroad as well. The approach adopted would be however different than the classical way of writing typical scientific articles hardly of interest to business community and hardly arousing any curiosity of readers. The Switch Asia Project had therefore decided to narrate the successes of ginners in a simple- to- understand manner such that it not only provides technical information but also makes the reader willing to read the narrative till the end. With that spirit in mind, I am here to listen from you first hand, without feeling constrained by the presence of Project people (and looked at Saeen Touheed and Abdullah). I would expect you to let me know the ways the Project helped you in improving the efficiency and productivity of your business besides making the working environment for laborers reasonably acceptable with tolerable levels of noise and dust, proper working dress, Page 44 of 86

46 and fearless movement within the narrow spaces between machines that might have been made safer to work around; courtesy Switch Asia Project. After this brief intro, I requested him to tell me in simple worlds when and where was this ginning business started, what happened meanwhile and how were you introduced to the Switch Asia Team. And so Ikram started: Back in 1999, this factory was established in partnership with another Seth. This was the first factory in Sukkur that was approached by Switch Asia Team through Saeen Touheed. Before that, we had also collaborated with BCI in 2011 and have the distinction of achieving 84% of the targets fixed by the Initiative; far above the acceptable range of 35 to 65%. It was Switch Asia Team that made us aware of the fact that ginning was not a trade but a business; and needed to be treated as such. The Switch Asia Team worked for three days, in fact day and night, and came up with a comprehensive gap analysis report. The very first item of the analysis was the over- use of electricity. We had an oversized electric motor of 75 HP for suction duct that could be comfortably replaced with a 40 HP motor. As an example, earlier we consumed precisely kwh electricity per bale produced. That consumption came down to 17 kwh per bale when we replaced the 75 HP motor with 40 HP. This amounted to 1.16 kwh of savings per bale. For 19,475 bales that we produced in season and at Rs.20 per kwh cost, we made a cool saving of 452,000 PKR. Next was the manual electricity panel run on oil. We were advised to replace it with automatic electronic system. This way, all the changes and adjustments required at any point in time, are now made automatically. Our suction fan was run on three motors of 75, 40, and 1HP. On the advice of Switch Asia Team, we instead installed countershaft over a 40HP motor that runs not only the suction fan but also the beater and the conveyor belt. This arrangement reduced the consumption of electricity in season to 13 kwh per bale from 17 kwh in season. Bale-wise, our electricity consumption was Rs.652 per bale in This came down to Rs.342 per bale a net saving of Rs.310 per bale. What was the overall impact of all these electrical changes brought in the Factory, I asked. The overall electricity charges, in season, it was 12,700,000 PKR. It came down to 6,500,000 PKR in season a whooping net saving of 6,200,000 PKR (more than 51%). I was told back in the Punjab about the way the spaces between the ribs were measured. Had you also been doing it that way, I asked. How we used to measure the spaces between ribs in gin stand, is in itself an interesting story. As was the standard practice anywhere at any gin saw, it was done with the help of a match stick. One can imagine the precision (?) of such serious measurements with such a non- serious method. It was again the Switch Asia Team that came to our rescue. They have developed a high quality toolkit that contains a lot of tools besides the one used to measure spaces between the gin ribs. It costs just Rs.3,500 but is a very useful toolkit. On the advice of Switch Asia Team, we have also given up the use of locally manufactured low quality gin saws that have improper teeth. Add to it the misery of filing it by hand and the results are not difficult to figure out. Now we use gin saws manufactured in Karachi but from steel sheets imported from Germany. We also use imported Chinese gin saws that cost us Rs.330 apiece and are equally good. But be careful before purchasing gin saws. There are now counterfeit saws made in Multan, marked with KKK the famous German brand, sent to Karachi and marketed from there to the unsuspecting buyers in cotton- ginning region. So, before Page 45 of 86

47 purchasing such saws, be sure to have gone for the real KKK brand; not the fake one. This is what Abdullah advised him. You told us a lot about the improvements brought in efficiency and productivity and the consequent savings that you made (in energy as also in Rupee term) as a result. But you did not tell us anything about any improvement that you might have brought in the internal environment of the factory, or of the workers, was my next question to Ikram. We did quite a lot in terms of dust control and noise reduction. On the advice of Switch Asia Team, we have established 30 ft tall chimneys over the dust collecting chamber. The air laden with cotton and seed dust accumulates in the chamber. Being lighter, the air moves up and out of the chimneys while the dust settles down. And then the dust is thrown out, I added. No, we sell it to brick kilns and they use it as tinder while firing their kilns. So you not controlled the dust spreading in the atmosphere, causing various ailments to the surrounding communities, you make money out of it, was my next question. Yes, we do, was his response. What a smart move, I said to myself. We also provide gur 7 to our workers that help them in keeping the breathing smooth. For headache, they always have access to tablets. And what else you have done for the workers? We have provided them with masks and ear plugs, have fenced the dangerous parts of machines, and have installed railings along the stairs. We have also posted various signs provided by the Switch Asia Team and have a good and reliable system of fire fighting for which the project trained our staff. What is it that you learnt from the Switch Asia Team? To be honest with you, we never cared for the losses that we bore nor thought of it. It was mostly because of ignorance or the bad advice of our electrical and mechanical staff. We were also oblivious of the working conditions of our factory workers. We now realize and repent for all the wrong doings that we had been doing since long. And finally, the Project not only trained our workers, they trained us also. And what was that, I asked? Well, earlier, we used to order for stores either by telephone or by sending our concerned workers. Now we do it ourselves as now we know what we exactly need and purchase in accordance with the standards set forth by the staff of Switch Asia Project. As another plus, we save money while purchasing stores ourselves. You see what I mean Yes, I do, I said. 7 Sweet balls made from sugarcane juice Page 46 of 86

48 What is it that you still think the Project should do for the betterment of the ginning industry? A quality training institute would be the best and perpetual contribution of the Project. But that would need land, buildings, machines, and staff, I asked. So, how you think that could be done? We are ready to contribute to whatever extent we can. We are ready to even pay stipends to the trainees. From what he said and from what I understood, the Switch Asia SPRING Project must consider the establishment of a training institute. Such an institute should not only train ginners, mechanics, electricians, foremen, it must also build the capacity of managers and administrators of the ginning industry. Then, refresher courses need to be the hallmark of such an institute so that there is always a linkage not only with those that have benefitted from the training in that institute, but also to keep them abreast of the developments made in their respective trades. Page 47 of 86

49 Muhammad Noaman: an Ambitious Entrepreneur A smart, well- mannered young man with ACCA from the UK, Muhammad Noaman is looking after Ittefaq Cotton Industries, Chowk Shahbaz Pur, Sadiqabad that was established in Back in October 2011, he started this business in partnership and was deputed to look after the management, accounts, and internal audit. They are in cotton business since 1971 that was first established in Daharki, Sindh. In 2012, his cousin told me that he had a call from Switch Asia Project before the onset of ginning season and was asked for a meeting in Rahim Yar Khan. He had attended all the three meetings called by the Project wherein he, like other ginners, was told to give up some of the conventional ginning practices to modern- day techniques and approaches. In November 2012, the Switch Asia Team made a comprehensive gap analysis of Ittefaq Cotton Industries. After this brief background, let s see what that young and highly educated man has to say: When the Switch Asia Team performed gap analysis of our ginning unit, the first thing that they pointed out was the air leakage and air pressure in the suction duct. It conveys seed cotton from the heaps in the yard and in to the factory. It had not only air leakages due to rusting and improper handling, but had a bend (as always) and a motor having power far in excess of the need. They suggested to immediately plug- in the holes, do away with the bend and replace the motor with a smaller power motor. The second suggestion was to dismantle the entire suction system and instead establish conveyor belt (locally called Sirki) system. It will have two advantages and one disadvantage. The two advantages were the nominal electric power required to run the system and the almost complete elimination of noise within the factory. And the disadvantage, I asked. The disadvantage was that I had to dismantle the whole suction system and install a new conveyor belt structure that needed quite an investment and time. But after weighing the pros and cons of both the systems, I could sense that advantages of the Page 48 of 86

50 conveyor belt far outweighed the suction system. I also involved my technical head, electrical head, and manager in attending the meetings arranged by them. Now our energy load has reduced by 10 Amp and instead of two motors that we had earlier, we now have one motor. Earlier, there was no systematic and scientific way to measure the gaps between two consecutive gin ribs. As was the standard practice, our mechanic would place a match stick between the two gin ribs. If he thought that it needed adjustment, he would do it accordingly. As against that crude method, the Switch Asia Team advised to have a toolkit developed specifically for that and other such like purpose. I purchased one for Rs.3,500 to measure gaps the way these should be. To train our men in proper measurement, Sajid Sab was requested to guide our staff how to measure the spaces between ginning ribs and how to use the rest of tools of the kit. Before their advice, I was already using German gin saws with its famous KKK Trademark. When they looked at the saws, they told me that these were counterfeited. In fact, a fake manufacturer makes these saws in Multan, sends the consignments to Karachi and from there, are sold to upland customers. On their advice, I gave up using those saws and instead opted for Chinese saws. Then we had the problems of moisture that we used to measure at bale level, not at heap or gin stand level. Now on their advice, we are doing it at the heap level and then at the gin stand. Once a bale has been prepared, it is impossible to change the level of moisture. But what if the level of moisture that is kept at about 9 percent in the bale reduces during the storage? Actually not much change in terms of moisture occurs because baling is done in relatively cold and latter, in the coldest months of the season. So the evaporation of moisture is at its minimum. And then the bales are so tightly pressed that it is hardly likely that any significant amount of moisture can leak out. Moreover, we don t store bales for longer periods of time; these are disposed of either immediately, or within days of bailing. Keeping the bales moist means greater weight of cotton and greater payment by the buyers. So why would they pay the same amount of money for water that they pay for cotton? Well, if you would observe, the strength of cotton fibre increases with the addition of water. This way, there is almost no likelihood of snapping of long fiber. And that is what the requirement of spinners is. Let me also tell you that if the moisture is below the level of their requirements, they pay less. So why to lose money for lesser moisture? Earlier, we used to collect the thrown- out overflow seed cotton in a separate storage area and reprocessed it again with a mighty 75 HP motor. That consumed a lot of time to relocate and send it back to the gin stand and to, sort of, reuse it. And for that, we had to stop the ginning machines that mean increasing idle time. This way, cotton had to pass again through the entire process consuming extra labour and extra energy besides reduction in fibre length making our cotton of lower quality and fetching lower prices. Now we send it directly to the gin stand instead of beater. Page 49 of 86

51 Earlier, we had no Chaucer fans behind the gin stands to suck the dust. On their advice, we now have installed Chaucer fans at the back of each gin stand that suck dust and other impurities. This way, the thrown- out cotton is directed back directly goes to the gin stand. Those days, we used to wear masks before entering the factory to stay for a while. But there was problem for the labourers who had to work continuously at the machines. How serious the dust problem is now after the installation of Chaucer fans, I asked. I would say that up- to 90% of the dust has been controlled and the workers feel very comfortable. We were also told to periodically check the RPMs of motors. After the Switch Asia Team made thorough checks, it was found that some motors were over- loaded while others were under- loaded. We were advised to move a motor that was under- utilized, to where it is needed most. Then our relays were manual but now we have electronic capacitors that automatically manage the load. Now we have considerably improved load management. Though we had to pay about 1.2 to 1.5 million PKR for the electronic system but then we have controlled the fines amounting to 80-90,000 PKR almost each month that we frequently had to pay due to over- shooting of To what extent, you might have followed or worked in accordance with the suggestions and advice given by Switch Asia Team, I asked. Up to 70 percent, I would say. And what is special that has happened in terms of productivity and efficiency? Our GOT has increased by a respectable margin of 2 percent besides the marked improvement in the quality of our cotton. Our costs on new ginning saws were compensated by the better GOT. And our cotton production has increased by 8-10 bales per 24 hrs; not a bad deal for all the investments that they advised and we followed. MDI. For six months, that amount could touch 540,000 PKR. We hope that next season, we will break- even with the costs incurred on the automation of energy control system. On the labour side, we have highlighted work areas according to the degree of danger as too risk area ; medium risk ; and low risk areas. We started from high risk and gradually moved to low risk areas. We have also fenced the moving parts of machines and fixed railings to stairs. Masks and ear plugs have also been provided to workers to control inhalation of dusty air and to damper the effect of machine- induced noise. As advised by the Switch Asia experts, we have also improved the lighting system in the Factory. We have replaced all the conventional lights and installed LED lights that have not only better- lit premises but the energy costs have also gone down. What else would you suggest the Switch Asia Project do for the betterment of cotton ginning, was my last question to Noaman. There should be regular check- n- balance visits to ginning factories to ensure the implementation of suggested changes and improvements. This should be a continuous process so that we remain in touch (with them) and on track besides learning new skills and procedures to improve ginning practices. It will also give plenty of thinking to those who have been hesitant in implementation of the suggested improvements. This way, I hope that more and more ginners would pay attention and ensure that this win- win situation, that we are enjoying, is equally enjoyed by them as well. Page 50 of 86

52 Being a highly educated young and ambitious entrepreneur, Noaman, unlike other entrepreneurs, does not seem to be interested only in his good. His wish that others should also emulate what he had done or that other ginners should also benefit from the knowledge and experiences of Switch Asia SPRING Project staff is indicative of his positive thinking leading to collective, not individual, good. If each one of us starts thinking like and like so many others that I have come across, there is no reason that one day we will reign supreme in the realm of cotton trade. Amen! Page 51 of 86

53 Muhammad Saeed: determined to RISE At the doorsteps of his office of Heera King Cotton Ginning and Oil Mills, I along with my colleagues Sajid and Abdullah, a healthy, young and smiling man in his mid- thirties greeted us. He was Muhammad Saeed, the relatively new proprietor of the Factory but not a new hand in the business of cotton ginning. After the usual intros and the exchange of pleasantries, I requested Saeed Sab to tell us something, in brief though, about his career and his journey till this Factory. Clearing his throat, the ever- smiling Saeed said that it was in 2012, the year when I had just acquired the lease partnership of Heera King, that Switch Asia Team visited us. After listening to them attentively, and keeping in mind the fact that I was new in the business, as proprietor, and needed to ensure that the business runs in a better manner, I said yes to their suggestion of performing complete gap analysis and audit of my factory. And so they started the gap analysis to pinpoint shortcomings in the factory that they thought were there but not apparent to me. After working for a couple of days, full throttle, they came up with analysis of this factory. What they said, was hardly good news for me. By their count, nothing was the way it should have been. When they explained and pinpointed at source, I had no choice but to be convinced of their expertise and, you know, my failings. Page 52 of 86

54 Just how you got involved in the business of cotton ginning, I asked. And he said: If you would kindly recall, this was back in 1995 that Sales Tax was introduced by the Government. In cotton- ginning, being a rudimentary industry, no one knew much about the implications of Sales Tax. I first did DBA (Diploma in Business Administration) and then did BCom and so, had some theoretical knowledge of this new tax. And coincidentally, I got a job in this very Factory as Sales Tax Clerk the same year and worked here for two years in taxation. Thereafter, I worked in oil mills, and seed mills and some years, even in flour and rice mills. Meanwhile, I got an opportunity to work as manager at Insaf Ginning Factory Saleh Pat, Sukkur and worked there for some time. As for accountancy, I worked for ten years of which eight years outside and two years here at this factory but as a shareholder. Since the owner of this factory was hardly sitting here, mostly in Karachi, it was not possible for him to run the ginning business. So he decided to lease it out. This way, an opportunity arose and I was informed by a colleague if I would like to become a shareholder, on lease basis, in this very factory. After some hesitation and getting advice from my family, friends and well- wishers, I agreed. And that s how I got practically involved in the business as a shareholder. I would also like to tell you that my business partner hardly visits the factory and has rather left everything to me. This can be gauged from the fact that each year, at the closing of balance sheets in June each year, he comes to As it happens in any ginning factory, as a matter of holy routine, there is always a bend in the suction conduit. And heaven knows why, but the mistries say that the bend increases air pressure and with that, the capacity to suck the cotton seed; though the Switch Asia Team considers it to the contrary. And this reminds me of a simple analogy, the analogy of a Cheetah running after a deer. Why so many times does the deer manage to escape certain death? Because when it suddenly turns right (or left) the Cheetah too does the same. But then due to sudden turn, Cheetah loses speed. And that s how a deer manages to get a lease of life. So, what do we need to do, I asked the Team. Remove the bend, the Switch Asia team said in unison. And in spite of vehement opposition from my men, I decided to go for, what the Team said. I was advised that the suction pipe fitted with 80 HP motor be replaced with conveyor belt and the 80 HP mighty motor with a tiny 7.5 HP motor, hardly comparable to the one in place. I readily agreed. And with just this one change of technology, my cotton bale production increased by 25-30% for the same amount of time. On the other hand, the energy consumption decreased by 20-25%. As a result, the total energy consumption of the Factory reduced by a respectable 20% margin. Against these very visible reductions in expenses, coupled with enhanced production, my total investment on modifications amounted to 600,000 PKR, an amount that has already been paid back in just one season. the factory and leaves after looking at the costs and profit; to come again next year. Now his is obviously a case of ambition and resolve and that is how men of determination rise like Saeed Sab; without looking back. Who are the major customers of your lint, I asked. We sell lint for example, to Sapphire and Gul Ahmed, and know which standard they maintain and which standards we need to maintain that they expect us to. Moreover, they have their own labs where they check samples from our lots. If it is to their standards, they accept the material, otherwise not. Once I sent 200 bales to Sapphire and they said that on the average, it has 0.99 inch staple length. It was lesser than one inch that they accept as standard staple length. When I checked Page 53 of 86

55 my books and record, I located the origin of phutti. I found out that they were correct. What I want to emphasize is that unless we maintain strict quality standards, we are not going to do good business in the market. And how do you sell your lint? For this, all the textile mill owners have brokers who approach us and negotiate the prices after due consideration to lint quality. How do you run the factory, I asked. Well, I try to do the things myself, wherever possible. And there is a reason for that. Suppose I produce low quality 200 bales of lint. Now I am bound to lose at least 5 million PKR if the bales are not to the standards that I maintain and the standards that the textile mills expect me to maintain. This becomes all the more necessary to be much more vigilant, when I have a total working capital of 20 million PKR. And let me make it clear that this amount is for all the expenses, including purchase of phutti, paying taxes, running factory, paying manpower, my own costs, etc. Now if I do not use this money judiciously, I will go bankrupt within no time. Let me also tell you that unless one puts his heart and soul in the business, it is hardly likely to produce even 200 bales for this much capital. And I produce 9,000 bales a year. Then I also crush cotton seed, extract oil, refine it and sell it to the vegetable oil processing units, besides selling cotton seed cakes in the wholesale market. We also get our phutti tested at Pakistan Cotton Standards Institute that has its braches all over the cotton- growing regions. If all the required attributes are in accordance with the acceptable standards, we accept otherwise reject the phutti. So that s another way of conforming to strict cotton standards. What is it that you liked about the Switch Asia Team the most, was my last question? The sincerity of purpose, no false claims as are generally made by such visitors, perseverance and resilience, he said. Then they increased our awareness about better ginning practices, environment, energy conservation and efficient utilization, labour welfare, Occupation and Health and Safety, and lots more. It was they who told us about establishing small cotton testing units. After so much learning from what the Switch Asia team had been hammering in to our brains, we are much wiser and vigilant. For example, now before a trolley- load of phutti enters our gates, we test all the basic parameters as required. For example, moisture content, staple length, percentage of contamination [sangli], even colour. What if a trolley load, after due testing is found to be below the standards and is not to your liking? Do you send it back? No, I don t, but I stop getting phutti of that lot anymore. And finally, it s all because of them that I was made aware of the great mistakes that I like hundreds of other cotton ginners, was making and the simple and apparent shortcomings that we had but were not apparent to us. Not anymore, I said? Not anymore, he replied. Page 54 of 86

56 Nirmal Das: Quick in Decision- Making A stout young smiling man in his early thirties, with confidence radiating from his face, and that too, at such a young age, is Niram Das who started his career at his father s factory in Ghotki as a cashier in To groom him to be the future proprietor of the business, he was also made responsible to look after the machinery and administration. Satisfied with his skills and the experience that he got meanwhile, his elders shifted him to Khairpur in 2004, to look after the purchase section of phutti in another factory till And finally, he joined a leased factory called SSD Cotton Ginners, Rohri as a partner in This could not have happened had he not proved his management skills: the skills that he had developed over years by working in various capacities at his own businesses, especially in the purchase of Phutti, the most important element of the ginning occupation. In 2012, Switch Asia Team along with specialists from CPI, visited him. After explaining the purpose of visit, they asked for his permission and cooperation in performing gap analysis of the factory. Being an insightful businessman, and because of sheer curiosity, Seth Niraml Das felt the importance of their work and agreed to let them do whatever they wanted to do. After a complete audit of the factory, they developed a comprehensive report and shared its main findings with Seth Nirmal Das. Coming to know of the state of affairs, he sensed that all was not well in his factory. One of the biggest drawbacks of the ginning at his factory was the locally- manufactured gin saws and the constant filing of their teeth that caused not only loss of lint quality but also reduced productivity besides the loss of cotton left around cotton seeds that needed a lot of labour to first clean it and then send it to oil pressing. The Switch Asia Team advised him to use Chinese made gin saws that will not only increase his production but will also enhance its quality. Realizing the cumulative losses, and instead of thinking and waiting to get new consignment of gin saws, he immediately dashed to Hyderabad, purchased 700 gin saws at Rs.395 apiece, rushed back to the factory, stopped the production mid- way and replaced all the old gin saws. All this happened within 48 hrs of him being told by the Switch Page 55 of 86

57 Asia Team. There can hardly be any example of such a quick decision and the reversal of the traditional systems that had been established over decades. To challenge the status quo, especially in the face of fierce resistance from the factory mechanics who saw their existence being challenged by the Switch Asia Team, was in itself a feat performed by this young and ambitious entrepreneur. And just how much did you pay for the locally manufactured gin saws? Rs So you agreed to spend more than four times for the branded saws? Yes! But then you must have calculated the benefits of the branded saws? I did! And let me tell you how, was his response. Earlier, we lost 12-15% cotton that went with the cotton seeds and the greater proportion of short fibre in the finished product that in turn resulted in lower prices in the market. With the introduction of new Chinese saws, almost no cotton is left wrapped around the seeds. And when the seed is clean, it fetches better price from the oil factories. And second, seeds having a lot of cotton, as our seed used to have, would first need to be cleaned that again costs money. And finally, cotton seed cakes when marketed with a lot of cotton, is not liked by the animals and as such, does not fetch better price. By having made these calculations in my mind, I had no reason not to go for the standard Chinese saws. And what did you do with those mechanics that were so much against the new saws and in favor of filing? I relieved them as I no more file the saws; I rather change them when I see the quality of cotton is being compromised or that cotton has started being lost to cotton seed wrapping. Any suggestions given by the Switch Asia team regarding improvements at the gin stand, I asked. Well, yes. We have 6 gin stands running on a 40 HP motor. On their advice, I downgraded the motor and now we have a 30 HP motor. Then, we installed a digital analyzer costing Rs.16,000 and imported from China to replace the manual system. What else Switch Asia Project men suggested? They suggested replacing the 75 HP motors that had become a symbol of authenticity in any ginning factory, consuming ca. 48 Amp electricity per hr with 50 HP motors at the suction pipe. We now save 0-75 to 1.0 kwh of electricity per h. As a thumb rule we saved 1 kwh of electricity per bale. This way, we saved 25,000 kwh of electricity. And for Rs.20 per kwh, we saved 500,000 PKR in just one season. And this amount is exactly equal to the amount that we paid to purchase a 50 HP motor. So, we broke even with the cost on new motor in just one season. And this is besides the fact that we had a 75 HP motor that we could either dispose of, or sell. So, in the end not, a bad deal! Page 56 of 86

58 You have done a lot when it comes to improvements in productivity and efficiency. This is great. But have you done anything with respect to human welfare? I mean anything done for the laborers, I enquired. The very first thing, that we did, was to provide branded 19l bottled water to our permanent staff. As for the laborers, we have established filtration plant for them and we keep on monitoring the quality of water produced. This way, the incidence of water- borne diseases has dramatically reduced and with that, more working days per laborer. We have also established a labor colony with all the needed facilities available. What else did you do on the advice of these mavericks; the non- conformists to status quo? I asked. The wire Just because of the replacement of gin saws, ribs, and spacers, we are now producing quality lint that is exported to Bangladesh, even to India, our most fierce competitor. We are doing it through Pawwan Enterprises. But that was just one aspect of energy saving, I said. What about the total savings in energy costs that you might have made? Looking at the entire costs on energy, we used to spend Rs.300 per bale. Now we spend Rs.220 per bale. This comes to a net saving Rs.80 per bale. For 30,000 bales that we produced in 2014 season, we saved a large amount of 2,400,000 PKR. mesh was not of the proper size and has been replaced as advised. What could be the overall savings that you can boast of? Our per season cotton production has increased from 25,000 to 30,000 bales and our income has increased in the range of 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 PKR per season. And just how much did you spend to get this windfall additional profit? Just 400,000 PKR, was the answer. Do you have anything in mind, any suggestion that the Switch Asia Project might do for the betterment of ginning industry? The team should keep on visiting us regularly for technical advice and to ensure, that whatever was suggested, is still in place. They should also look in to the new problems or additional suggestions to make and we would be grateful. But who is going to pay for all this? After all, such visits cost a lot of money. We are ready to pay all of their expenses. They may even work as a Consulting group for 5 to 10 factories. This way, our costs would reduce and we would hardly hesitate to contribute our share to the consultancy. After speaking to him and listening to such a young man who is so quick in decision making and so far- sighted, I was all praise for him, and of course the Switch Asia Team for its ceaseless and unwavering efforts for the cause of conservation, enhanced productivity and efficiency besides looking after the welfare of workers, so vital for any sector of the economy. Page 57 of 86

59 Pinku Lal Bajaj: doing as advised A young and ambitious man, Pinku started his career in 1994 with business in engineering products. In 2011 he established SSD Cotton Ginners and Oil Refinery at Saleh Patt, Sukkur and worked in collaboration with BCI. In 2012, came the Switch Asia Project and since he was already collaborating with BCI, he had no problem in collaborating with them either. Fortunately, ours was the first factory that has been completely established in accordance with the standards set forth by the Switch Asia Project, is what Pinku said. And just how did you follow their standards and benchmarks, was my question. My next door neighbour - Insaf Cotton Ginners - was already interacting with Switch Asia Project and I used to visit the Factory and keenly observe what was going on down there. Impressed and convinced of the sincerity of purpose of Switch Asia Project, and of course, of their specialized skills, I decided to do exactly what they said and tried to establish my new factory in accordance with their advice. The very first thing that they impressed upon was the carriage of Phutti - seed cotton - to gin stands. Instead of going for the conventional suction conduit, and that too with a bend for some unknown valid reason, run by a huge 75 HP motor, we established backside conveyer belt fitted with a mere 5 HP motor. As such, the cotton equivalent to 20 to 25 bales per day that was thrown outside the beater earlier was redirected not to the gin stand, to be reprocessed, but directly to the gin press. This way, not only the precious time and energy losses but the loss of quality due to shorter fibre, was completely avoided and the short fibre index as a whole was considerably reduced. Page 58 of 86

60 Cost wise, processing of 20 bales consume 13 kwh of Rs.20/kWh for 125 working days. This comes to 650,000 PKR an amount that is now saved in addition to better quality lint and of course, savings in labour costs. As was the general practice, for the removal of trash from the recollected cotton, we had to shut down the machines. This way, the loss of ½ hr per bale has also been saved. With all these adjustments and modifications, the fibre length has been enhanced in the vicinity of to 1.5 inches. Consequently, we had been able to produce 1,350,000 maunds [54 million kg] of cotton in accordance with the BCI standards. What about the quality of your cotton, I curiously asked. It is my pleasure to say that we are the only BCI-licensed factory in the entire Sukkur Region. And let me also say that the BCI does not certify a cotton factor for nothing. As such in , 60% of our cotton was Better Cotton. This ratio increased to 80% in We however plan to achieve 100% conformity to BCI standards in season. Since I had seen a small cotton- testing machine at Insaf Cotton Ginners, their neighbours, I asked if he tests his phutti over there. No, I have developed my own machine and use it for the basic parameters of phutti. This we do by getting one kg samples from a trolley load that is normally 200 maunds, and test it for trash content, moisture, and fiber length and then calculate GOT. We then prefer purchase of phutti from the area that has the best attributes according to our tests. We allow trash content up to 8 percent that comes to 1-1.5kg per maund [40 kg]. As for cotton yield, we keep it up to 13.5 kg per maund. We have gone even up to 16.5 kg of cotton per maund of phutti. When asked about any suggestions to improve the working of cotton ginning industry, he said: There should be an institute imparting regular trainings to mistries. It could be theory for say three months and followed by hands- on training in a factory. It should not only produce trained workers but also be able to supervise staff. I am ready to facilitate such trainees at my factory and at my expense. We also need to have a training institute for our managers and other senior personnel of the factories. The underlying idea is not only to train our workers and managers according to their needs, but they should be able to change the mindset especially of our workers. This is important because it is very difficult to shift them from what they had been doing since decades. While leaving the factory premises, Pinku showed us a prototype machine that they had developed for measuring a lot of parameters of the incoming cotton, including moisture content, contamination, impurities, and cotton and seed ratio. This way, he said that they were able to reach the 100% level of better cotton. Where did you get this concept from? Switch Asia Page 59 of 86

61 Project experts advised us to have our own system of analysis. These standards are recorded by getting one kg seed cotton and process it. And for this purpose they have recruited a person who knows his job well enough based on his past experience and the rest he does by feeding the phutti in to the attributes- testing machine. How much impurity [sangli] you allow per maund, I asked. We accept 1 to 1.5 kg impurities per maund. In case impurities exceed that limit, we do not accept that phutti. Under certain unusual circumstances, we are forced to allow even greater proportion of sangli. For example, in there was great damage to seed cotton crop and had up to 15 kg sangli. But we had to accept whatever was available. What about pre- fixing of seed cotton prices like wheat, I asked. President Musharraf tried it but there was severe resistance from the big business and so the idea was dropped. And how much cotton per maund of phutti is acceptable to you, I asked. We want that cotton content should be about 13.5 kg per maund. There are however areas that give such good seed cotton that we got up to 16.5 kg cotton per maund of phutti. So, everybody tries to get seed cotton from that area. It is not just the ginner who benefits from good quality phutti, it is the grower also who get better price for his phutti. He also pointed to the labour colony meant for them to relax and stay when the factory is in full production mode and functions day and night. To give a pleasant look to the factory premises, we saw a row of date palms arranged in the cotton dumping yard. Since date palm has strong leaves, they do not mingle with the phutti dumped in the yard. Page 60 of 86

62 Seth Muhammad Arshad: Always Aspiring for a (POSITIVE) Change The owner of Muzammil Cotton Ginning Industries (Pvt) Ltd., Bahawalpur and a lot of other businesses, Seth Sab had been very kind to have given us time to speak to him. Since the factory was not functional because the off- season, he invited us to meet him at his house. When we reached his palatial house, his driver went inside to inform Seth Sab of our arrival. After a few minutes, he returned with an apology that he was sleeping. Abdullah told him that when he wakes up, tell him that I, along with the guest, will be waiting for his call in the WWF- Pakistan Office. We had just reached the office that Abdullah got a call from Seth Sab. So, we rushed back and found him waiting for us in the lobby. He apologized for the miscommunication and told us that he was in the bathroom when we arrived. The moment he came out and was told by his driver of our arrival, he immediately called Abdullah. This long prologue is meant to inform the readers that ordinarily, a Seth would not bother much about the visitors of our type. Honest! And second, that even if he does, he will not go to that extent and be so full of humility and humbleness; and apologetic. Now what could have been the reason, or reasons, of his being what he exhibited, I said to myself in a loud but silent tone. Two things: one, that he actually was a sweet and a thorough gentleman, as are generally the Page 61 of 86

63 southerners; and two, that he had been so obliged by the efforts and sincerity of Switch Asia Team, that he somehow, wanted to reciprocate, in whatever manner he could. I believe that it was both the reasons that worked in our favour. Abdullah told me that Seth Arshad was also the ex- President of Bahawalpur Chapter of Commerce & Industries. And when I asked him to tell me something about his business, especially the ginning business, he said: I got the proprietorship of Madina Cotton Industries that was established by my father in 1973, besides other businesses. Then we established Muzammil Cotton Industries in 1986 and shifted entirely to cotton ginning. We did as told by our technicians and would not bother about the minor changes in the factory, as suggested by them. That was back in late 2012 that we were contacted by Masood and Alyas of Switch Asia SPRING Project. Since we were in the middle of ginning By switching over to Chinese saws, our GOT increased from 14.5 to 14.7 gm per 40 kg. Our overall production of cotton also increased from 225 bales to 250 bales per 24hr. Then wastage during delivery to press also decreased. Moreover, our bale size was not proper because the dimensions of press were not uniform. On the advice of Switch Asia team, we modified the size of bale press accordingly. Earlier, we used to waste 30 minutes after every 8hr due to bales overrun. Now because of the proper press size, we do not lose that time anymore. season, we allowed them to perform complete audit of the factory but started acting on their recommendations in July, 2013; after the conclusion ginning season. Their gap analysis report mainly concerned with wastage in electricity consumption, safety measures, ginning output, quality of cotton produced, fibre or staple length, internal working environment, energy savours instead of the most primitive incandescent lamps and mercury tube lights, whitewash for better lighting of the factory s internal environment, proper aeration, GOT, noise reduction, dust control, etc. On their advice we gave up the use of Sahiwal- made gin saws costing us Rs per piece and using it for two to three seasons. We instead went for the imported Chinese saws as advised by the Switch Asia Team. These saws cost us Rs.330 apiece and were asked to use them just one season. We even once filed one set of Chinese saws because of its short supply. And did it work well, I asked. Yes, but not as good as the original saws but anyhow better than even new Sahiwal made saws. We had a 75 HP motor installed on the noise making and electricity gobbling suction duct. The Switch Asia team advised us to change the entire system of conveying phutti to the beater and on to the saw gin and instead install conveyor belt. We readily agreed and now we have an open conveyor belt in the yard and instead of 75 HP motor, it runs on a small 5 HP motor. Besides tremendous reduction in the power consumption and misuse, noise created inside the building is hardly audible. Then, instead of shower that we used to spray water over cotton to keep its moisture constant at about 9%, we are now using a nozzle that uniformly sprays water over the conveyor belt to keep the moisture as required by the cotton processors of the textile mills. Page 62 of 86

64 What else can be done was my last question. We need to change this early twentieth century ginning machine replicas to the newer and more efficient ones. That will cost us 4,500,000 PKR per machine; instead of 300,000 PKR that we spend on the present machines and are made in Multan, Sadiqabad, and Burewala. We also need to go for automatic bale press imported from China. But that costs a lot: 30,000,000 PKR. In this regard, I would strongly stress on the need for a far more aggressive and proactive role to be played by the Switch Asia SPRING Project through its team of experts that has already win over the confidence of all the ginning factories. In this regard, whatever role we are asked to play, we would be more than willing to go for it. In the end, he warned of the consequences of cotton lands being converted to sugarcane lands. This way, more than 220,000 picker women would be rendered jobless. And let s also keep the fact in mind that cotton is not the end product; it is the beginning of a number of end products. The values addition that cotton ensures is many more time the value of sugar. I would expect that Switch Asia Project through WWF- Pakistan would take up the case with the provincial and the Federal governments. Our overall electricity load was 888 kwh per hr. Now it has come down to 825. As such, we have saved 60 kwh per hr. This way, we are saving a phenomenal amount of 2,765,000 PKR. To make it simpler in terms of wattage, we used to consume KWh per bale that has now reduced down in the range of And just how much it cost you, I said. For all the changes, replacements, and modifications, we spent about 2,000,000 PKR. And how long it took to break-even with the costs? I think within the first four months of the season, he said. Page 63 of 86

65 Page 64 of 86

66 TECHNICAL STAFF THAT MATTERS Page 65 of 86

67 Fazal Ahmed: Foreman A mechanic, working in cotton ginning for the last 14 years, Fazal Ahmed started his career as a trainee in Multan and later joined cotton ginning industry. Before joining Ittefaq Cotton Ginning, Bahawalpur where he is working for the last seven years, Fazal spent seven years in two gins. My entire experience is based on hands- on training learned from my ustad [mentor] who had also learned his skills in an informal way. But it must have been a difficult job to work without any formal training? I asked. Yes, without formal training, learning directly on machines was a grueling job. Then, we had no idea how to remove a fault unless it occurred. For example, on gin stand if a certain rib lost rhythm, we used to first find out two ribs of approximately the same size to replace the faulty ones. That estimation and judgment was based on visual observation and not based on some scientific tests or sizing. To keep appropriate space between the two consecutive ribs, we used to measure it either with a match stick or a coin. But all the matches are not of the same thickness, right? Right, but that s how we used to do the things then! Similarly, while fitting space blocks or gin saws, we used to place the shaft over bricks. Sometimes the shaft would slip down due to mishandling or imbalance causing serious injuries to the worker, even fatal ones. It was in 2012 that Switch Asia Project Team visited our factory and said that they will provide training to us. I said to myself that I am working as a mechanic for the last 14 years. How could these people train a person like me, any further? When I hesitantly agreed and started getting training, I realized that my apprehensions about their knowledge were not based on facts; and that what they knew was far more that what I knew. First of all, they told us the proper names, functions, and importance of various parts of a gin stand. Gin stand that functions as heart of the entire system, separates cotton seed and lint. They also explained to us the importance of each part in the functioning of a gin stand. For example they told us how a low quality sub- standard rib, gin saw, or space block can adversely affect the quantity and quality of lint and of cotton seed. Then, it is also because of these sub- Page 66 of 86

68 standard parts of gin stand that frequent breakdowns occur that in turn, cause shut- downs resulting in production losses. Meanwhile, the labourers sit idle but get paid. This obviously increases production costs; and with that, the blood pressure of owners. Such losses are either sustained by the owners, though unwillingly, or transferred to the purchasers who in turn ultimately transfer it to the ultimate consumer; me and you. The trainers also taught and trained us how to differentiate between standard gin parts and the low- quality parts. Now the owners give due importance to my opinion and this is all because of the training given to me under the Switch Asia SPRING Project. I now feel that there has been a marked improvement in my knowledge and skills and has made me far more confident of my skills and my ability. As I said earlier, we used to fit various parts (gin saws, ribs, space- blocks) in traditional manner that frequently resulted in wrong fitting ultimately leading to frequent breakdowns and losses to the owners, thus making them very upset. This is because ginning is a seasonal activity spanned over 90 to 120 days. Any loss of time would therefore adversely affect cotton out- turn, causing losses to the owners. The training team of Switch Asia SPRING Project of WWF- P also trained us in the use of various simple but standard tools available in a toolkit developed by the Project, for fitting of various parts of gin stand. For example now I know that the space between any two consecutive ribs should be 2.5 mm and I also know that for this, I need to use Rib Gap Gauge. Now we don t place shaft over bricks to fit in gin saws. We rather do it over a fixture that has almost completely eliminated the danger of accidents and fatalities. This way, work is done faster and safer while loss of time has become minimal. Let me also give you another example of our traditional methods. When phutti is conveyed to the gin stand, it is sucked through a duct. To check whether the air pressure is sufficient, we used to hang bricks with a rope and keep it closer to the inlet. If bricks would not move towards the duct, we understood that pressure was not sufficient. So, we would suggest using additional electric motor. This way, costs of energy would increase. To accurately measure the pressure at inlet, the Switch Asia Team has provided us a pressure gauge. And now we know that air velocity at the pipe inlet should be 3,500-5,000 ft per minute. This way, we are able to control the use of electricity. If these skills have on the one hand, increased my proficiency, it has also raised my esteem in the eyes of the gin owners. It s only because of Switch Asia Team that I am now able to use all the modern gadgetry with ease and precision and with full confidence. I also keep on informing the owner about the defects and the way that I handle such problems. This has not only saved a lot of precious time but the quality and uninterrupted production has been ensured. Because of this training, Seth Sab considers my presence and my services important for the factory; and this brings a lot of pride to me. Earlier, when we employed traditional methods, based on personal judgment and estimation, the quality of work was hardly any match to what we do now after learning during the training imparted to a lot of technicians by the Project. Then machines used to be kept shut down because of frequent breakdowns, causing reduction in production to the extent of 20 bales each day. Obviously, that was a lot of loss to the owner who used to feel bad about that. Let me also tell you that this past season, my salary has also been increased by the owner. The other benefit of training is that now even technicians who are senior to me and working in Page 67 of 86

69 other ginning units, come to me for technical advice. I feel happy and proud when I see my colleagues, even my senior ones, coming to me and seeking my opinion and advice. My concluding remarks are that without the training imparted to me under the Switch Asia Project, I would have been as good as hundreds of other mechanics and technicians. Now I realize that I am different, that I am better, that I am a scientifically trained technician, and that my contribution to the ginning industry is far superior than it used to be; before training. Page 68 of 86

70 Akhtar Ali: General Supervisor The General Supervisor at Al- Shahbaz Cotton Ginning, Daharki, is Akhtar Ali, a man with henna- dyed hair, generally a trademark of retired JCOs and NCOs of Pak Army. Looking after anything and everything that happens in the factory, is in fact leased by Ramesh Lal who also happens to be Sr. Vice Chairman of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association. When asked to tell us something about his career and his early days in the business, Akhtar Ali said: That was back in 1992 when I first joined Chaudhry & Co. as a clerk at Mitpur Mathelo. In 2003, I left the firm as weight clerk. Weight clerk, I asked? Yes, he said. You joined as a clerk and you left as a clerk, right? Right! So you want to say that you made no progress during all those ten years? I didn t say that. I did make progress because weight clerk is far above an ordinary office clerk, he explained. Sensing that was still unconvinced, he explained that a weighing clerk is responsible from everything that happens right from the arrival of Phutti at the factory gate to the bundling of processed cotton and all that happen in- between. And that was Al- Shabaz cotton Ginning Daharki that he joined as weight clerk and is looking after the affairs of factory since then. When the Switch Asia Team visited us, Seth Sab nominated me to look after it and to facilitate it while working in the factory. They started with checking the pressure of delivery fan and found it more than required. Wait, how they did they do it, I asked. By using air- flow meter, he said. And how was that? Because we had an over- powered 75 HP motor that you can find anywhere and everywhere, at least in Page 69 of 86

71 ginning factories. On their advice, we replaced it with a 50 HP motor and our Amperes came down from 60 to mere 40; a huge reduction of one- third. But could you agree to them so quick? You see, I had already attended a capacity- building course arranged by the Switch Asia Project and so had already interacted with them; and knew somewhat that they were not bluffing. Just for your information, they not only gave us training but also conducted an exam also that had both theory and practical. And I am pleased to let you know that I stood second in the whole class. I congratulated him readily and shook hands with him. He was all humility. But what was the major element of your training? We were trained in grading Phutti according to five grades. Then we were trained in how to determine the fiber length of various cottons according to six grades. The importance of the training can be gauged from that 18 candidates were invited from across the cotton belt of southern Punjab and northern Sindh. The actual number of trainees however reached to 36; double the originally planned number of trainees. Let me also tell you that all the first three positions holders were those who had been selected by the Switch Asia Project. This also shows how concerned the Project was concerned about the process of trainees selection. Did you suggest anything on how to improve the ginning efficiency, I asked. Frankly speaking, I did not suggest anything on my own because I like hundreds of others, were totally dependent on our gin- gin fitters and who kept on filing saws till they though they cannot be filed any further. And when would that be? When a gin saw would reduce from 12 inches to inches; losing ca. 6mm of its diameter. That generally happened after 2-3 years. The locally made gin saws would cost us Rs.130 to 200 apiece. So what was the impact of going for imported saws? Out GOT increased by g per maund (40 kg). Is this not a minuscule improvement? Apparently, yes. But when look at 126,000 maunds of cotton produced, converted to 5,040,000 kg and an average of 11gm per 40kg sums up to 55,440kg. Rs.100 per kg, we increased our income by 5,440,000 PKR. You have changed the gin saws, okay. And what about the ribs and the spacers, I asked? We also changed the old ribs with new ones that are more uniform and have fortification where it strikes the cotton most. Earlier, we used a match stick or a coin to measure the spaces between gin saws. Now we use a standard tool kit manufactured in Multan but designed by the Switch Asia Team. What would you like the Switch Asia Project do any further? They should impart training to our technical staff that are generally adamant to give up old habits, that as they say, die hard. And before I asked him about the contribution, he sensed it himself and offered to contribute whatever was decided by the Switch Asia Project. Page 70 of 86

72 Fayyaz Ahmed: putting Theory to Practice I am working as Field In- Charge, M. Sadique Ginning Industries, Bahawalpur, for the last eight years. Just a few years back, there were no facilities to look after the health and safety of the workers, nor were there any guidelines and equipment to deal with emergencies, especially fires, so common in ginning factories. Even no formal training was imparted or required for factory workers; to be able to face emergencies. In fact, everything was done on the spur of moment, or as and when a situation arose, resulting in the adoption of inappropriate measures without any pre- panned mechanism. For example in ginning factories, there is tremendous risk of fire because phutti is so prone to fire that even a minute spark could lead to uncontrollable fires. It happens so fast that by the time it is known, the fire is already gone out of control and within minutes, all the phutti is engulfed in fire. Now we knew of the potential danger of fire but unfortunately, there was no mechanism, nor proper training to fight it out. That was back in 2012 when Switch Asia Project arranged practical training on how to deal with accidental fires. This training was arranged by the Project in collaboration with a number of other organizations, for example, Rescue 1122, Civil Defence, etc. Main purpose of the hands- on training was to train us and build our capacity in how to deal with factory fires and how and when to use different fire extinguishers in case of emergencies. For example, in case of electric short circuit, fire extinguishers having powdered anti- fire chemicals were to be used. In case of phutti fire, pressurized water through fire- proof canvas pipes was to be used. When and how to use sand, was another part of the training. And finally, how to rescue a worker if affected by fire and how to administer first- aid to him was the most important part of the training. After completing the training, we were issued certificates of completion. That was back in December 2014, when a fire broke out in the phutti of Sadique Cotton Factory. Hearing the noise and smelling fire, I immediately looked around to locate the site of fire. I saw that the fire had broken in a dump of phutti. Not loosing rather using my senses, I asked the workers to clear the area between the dump that was on fire and rest of the dumps. This was necessary to save the rest of phutii from fire. Thereafter I organized the rest of workers and instructed them to perform different functions as and when told by me. Then I switched off the electricity from the main so that fire may not enter the factory through short- circuiting of Page 71 of 86

73 electric current. After that I personally used Co 2 cylinder to extinguish the fire. Since phutii- induced fire spreads very rapidly, I then used a special hook for poking the phutti and used water for dousing the fire. I kept on poking the sizzling portions of phutti with the hook and simultaneously, kept on pouring the water on it. We kept on doing this till we were able to completely control that fateful fire. Thereafter, we collected the burnt phutti and removed it to a safer place so that chance of rekindling could be avoided. That was also necessary to keep the partially- burnt phutti away from the clean dumps to avoid contamination and loss of quality. At that time, about 6,600 maunds (264,000 kg) phutti was lying in the factory. At Rs.2,500 per maund, the total value of phutti was 16,500,000 PKR. And the phutii that burnt, in spite of our best efforts, was about 200 maunds, costing 500,000 PKR. Though the owner had to bear the loss of half a million PKR but it was only because of timely action based on proper training that losses were kept to the minimum. I will not be honest to myself if I do not give credit of this exercise to WWF- Pakistan under its Switch Asia Project. We are now confident more than ever before and feel that in future, we will be able to take such eventualities head on. Since we are the beginners in this field, we would need to be further trained in newer, better, and more efficient techniques and equipment s so that we are able to more effectively tackle such eventualities. Needless to say, that the factory owner gave me a prize for my efforts. Page 72 of 86

74 Nasir Ali: an Electrician par Excellence When he was ushered in my hotel room at Desert Palm, Rahim Yar Khan, I was hardly impressed by his looks. And when you get the impression that I got, it is hard to change one s opinion. Since he was one of the persons that I had to speak to, I had no choice but to do what I was supposed to do. He was first briefed by Sajid and when done, looked at me; to start. I thanked him for being with us at such an inopportune time of the day, especially in the intense mid- day of Ramadan and then asked him to tell me something about himself in the form of a narrative. And so he began: My name is Nasir Ali and I am an electrician in Mukarram Cotton Ginning and Flour Mills at Rahim Yar Khan. Before that, I had been working in a provisions store but since I had interest in electrical works, I got one- year training an institute and joined the ginning factory as an electrician. There, his job is to observe load on electric motors, keep an eye on the conductor, how and when to use circuit breakers in case of an emergency, and ensure the proper use of capacitors to ensure that the use of electrical energy remains within the permissible Power Factor. Sensing his interest in his work, the Switch Asia Project gave him training in a number of new technologies besides training in how to properly run a generator and how to calculate Power Factor. Earlier, they used to adjust the Power Factor manually but now they know that it can be done automatically by using automatic capacitor. He was also trained in that when a motor burns, it should not be rewind if its cost approaches 40% of the generator costs. Then with each rewinding, there is a corresponding loss of 5 7% of motor power. Did you know about this already, I asked. No, it was only when I got training under the project that I now know a lot of things that even my teachers did not know. Then the Page 73 of 86