Salamat Ali and Faisal Mehboob Sheikh have been elected as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (North Zone). The newly elected office-bearers will resume their office from October 1, 2010.
Talking to newsmen, the newly elected Chairman of PHMA (NZ), Salamat Ali demanded of the government that regular supply of energy--electric power and natural gas--should be ensured to the value-added textile sector during winter so that the export sector should continue working day and night to earn the badly needed foreign exchange for the country.
Addressing the annual general meeting of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association he stressed that the knitwear garment export industry is doing its very best to meet the export targets set forth in the textile policy 2009-14 but this is possible only when electric power and gas are supplied to the industry on regular basis.
He said that the shortfall in energy is an accepted reality but this should be properly managed by the concerned departments of the government in consultation with the industry in such a manner that industry should suffer minimum losses. He added that weaknesses in the economic infrastructure should be improved so that industry may flourish, and more jobs could be provided to the unemployed youth.
Talking about the recent floods, he said that shortfall in the cotton crop due to flood should be managed through immediate import of raw cotton as only then the raw material--yarn--will be available to the value-added textile industry and export orders for Christmas and New Year season could be executed.
On the diplomatic front, efforts should be fortified to achieve GSP plus status from the European Union on value-added textile and a concessional tariff structure from the United States. "We have been facing natural calamities like earthquake and the worse than tsunami floods during current year besides fighting the war against terrorism for last many years. Therefore, international community should also realise our sufferings," he added. Salamat said he was hopeful about the future of value-added textile industry but constant and vigilant monitoring is always needed so that the fixed targets are successfully achieved.
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