LAHORE: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab Chairman Adil Bashir on Monday urged the Federal Minister of Energy Omar Ayub Khan to take immediate measures to ensure resumption of supply of furnace oil suspended for the last several weeks. He said that smooth and uninterrupted supply of furnace oil to textile industry is of paramount importance as the industry is heavily dependent on HFO not only for captive power plants but also for running steam boilers required for different manufacturing processes such as dying, drying, heating etc.
Adil stated that the whole cost of fuel is paid in advance to the oil marketing companies but they have halted the supplies for the last several weeks for no obvious reason.
He further observed that oil is a very critical and essential input in the industry's cost of production. He added that the non-supply of furnace oil has adversely affected the functioning of textile industry which had resumed operations only last month after remaining closed for several weeks due to Covid-19 lockdown. He said that the industry is only demanding dispatch of oil shipments by oil companies to the industry for which payments have already been made in advance.
He observed that our exports have plunged by 64% in April and 36% in May, 2020 as compared to figures of the corresponding months of the preceding year. Domestic commerce has also plummeted to its lowest ebb. At this critical juncture textile industry cannot afford hiccups or interruptions in the manufacturing process for petty reasons like non-availability of fuel caused primarily due to mismanagement and inefficiency of oil Marketing Companies. Non availability of furnace oil is prone to further aggravating the country's economic woes.
Adil said that the present oil crises would have negative pressures on the exports in particular and economy in general. The current economic impasse demands out of box solution of issues rather than creating artificial shortage of fuel with some ulterior motives.
He continued that non-availability of furnace fuel is fraught with heavy risks to the industry including cessation of production, lay off of employees and adversely affecting the already hard-hit exports of the country.
He demanded from the Federal Government to adopt immediate corrective measures and make it mandatory upon oil marketing companies to fulfill the requirements and demand of furnace oil without any further lapse of time.
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