Single spinning unit holders slam textile policy

The single unit holders in spinning sector have expressed their doubts on first ever textile policy and feared that it may lead to total closure of single spinning units in textile sector. Talking to Business Recorder, the single unit holders said the textile policy initiatives facilitate the composite textile units in all respect. It may be noted that the ready-made garments have already termed the textile policy as a 'gift' to the elite textile class.
According to the single unit circles, many ifs and buts are involved in smooth execution of initiatives like Long Term Finance Facility (LTFF) and it is yet to see how the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) pursues government in securing the interests of weaker groups of the industry.
"The present APTMA leadership is not strong enough in front of individual bigwigs of the industry," they said. They further said: "These bigwigs are not interested in survival of single unit holders of the industry". It is worth mentioning here that majority of single unit holders have parted their ways from APTMA.
They had also made a futile effort to form a parallel association with the name of All Pakistan textile Association (APTA). However, weak organisational skills of its leadership resulted into nose-dive disaster of APTA and the single unit holders are losing ground fast. The textile circles said the announcement of textile policy is meaningless and it would remain the same until relevant notifications and SROs are issued by the government.
They further mentioned that it is nothing less than an irony that the policy ensures exemption to the industry from load shedding in a situation where already the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) has withdrawn the already available exemption to the industry.
They said APTMA's repeated demands of resumption of exemption to the industry are falling on government's deaf ear. Therefore, the announcement of such an exemption in the textile policy is meaningless and carry no sense when it is not clear when government would overcome the load shedding phenomenon.
They lamented that the government was listening to bigwigs of industry, running composite units and already involved in gas and electricity theft. They further feared that the situation would lead to the closure of many single units in case government failed to ensure level-playing field without any discrimination.