Non-issuance of visas by EPB: Rs 100 million textile quota exports loss feared

Textile quota exports worth Rs 100 million are being lost due to refusal of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) to issue visas to exporters, and if no immediate remedial measures are undertaken the country's exports would suffer severe setback at this crucial juncture of quota phase-out. This was stated by Faiq Jawed, Chairman, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) in an SOS to Prime Minister on Saturday.
The PTEA chairman said that EPB has notified restraint on issuance of visa to USA in bed linen quota categories 360, 361, 666 (P+S) due to high level of fill rate and strong probability of embargo in these categories. It is not understandable how the fill rate in these categories has gone so high when quota is still pending in the category pass books of exporters, he asked. He said that the issuance of quota visas and shipments are strictly monitored by EPB and its auditors.
He said the exporters of these categories, after deliberation in an emergency meeting of the Association, have made certain suggestions to the govt to cope with the new development.
The exporters have demanded that goods which are in transit and visas have been issued by EPB to exporters must be got cleared at USA ports. For this purpose, high level intervention (if possible by President/Prime Minister of Pakistan) is required to clear the goods. In case these goods cannot be cleared and are held up at USA ports then the EPB (visa issuing authority) should pay the cost of bringing back these held up consignments and pay the air freight of these goods to the stakeholders to be shipped by air in the first week of 2005.
For the quantity of quota of these categories which is still pending in CPBs of exporters, for which the exporters have been stopped from making shipment and are being denied issuance of visa, the EPB should pay the cost of that quota to stakeholders.
For goods which have been manufactured and are ready for shipment but have been stopped, blocked and denied issuance of visa, the EPB should compensate the exporters by paying them the cost of goods or if the buyers do not accept shipment on January 1, 2005, the EPB should pay the cost of air freight, he added.