All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) has warned the government that continuous increase in input cost of textile sector would adversely affect the textile exports of the country.
"We are facing tough competition in international market and it would not be possible for textile exporters to maintain their competitive edge, if the government did not facilitate them", said Arif Saeed Chairman Aptma here on Wednesday.
While talking to Business Recorder, Arif said that Nepra is holding public hearing for making increase in electricity tariff. Interest rate and minimum wages of workers have been increased. Besides this, the raw materiel cost is increasing due to wrong policies of the government, he complained.
According to him, the role of Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) is very 'objectionable', as it is providing cotton to the competitors of Pakistani textile exporters on subsidised rates.
Referring to recently conducted study, he claimed that textile industrialists of the country had purchased cotton last year at the rate of Rs 2,346 per mound, while TCP sold it to competitors of Pakistan at the rate of Rs 2170 per mound causing a loss of around one billion to national exchequer.
Despite strong protest of textile sector of Pakistan, TCP has so for exported more than one million cotton bales to competitors of Pakistan exporters. He demanded of the government to safeguard the interests of textile exporters and ensure that cotton is not exported on the rates, which are less than the spot rates, announced by Karachi Cotton Association. He alleged that organisations like TCP are creating artificial shortage of cotton.
Arif Saeed said that China and India are emerging main competitors of Pakistani textile exporters in international market. In order to increase the competitiveness of the Pakistani textile exports, the government must consider the genuine demands of the textile sector.
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