Punjab textile millers demand power tariff at Rs8 per kwh

LAHORE: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab Chairman Ali Pervaiz Malik on Tuesday demanded Rs 8 per kWh electricity tariff for the textile industry in Punjab and uninterrupted electricity supply during Ramazan.

Addressing a media conference after chairing the APTMA Punjab general body meeting attended by over 100 member mills from Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan here at APTMA House, he said that government should also continue with the relief of Rs 3 per unit under the Prime Minister's Textile Industry package as Punjab industry was unable to operate on high energy price than other provinces.

The member mills raised industry concerns relating to the energy supply and affordability, adding that the mills would have to close down one and a half shift production, as labour would not be able to do Sehri and offer Taraweeh due to power outage in mills.

He said the Central Chairman APTMA Aamir Fayyaz and APTMA Group Leader Gohar Ejaz would lead a delegation of 50 textile millers for meeting with Finance Minister in Islamabad wherein issue of energy supply and affordability would be presented.

He apprehended, "Textile units on independent feeders will be forced to lay off workers due to the suspension of one shift production in case the government carried with observing load-shedding for industry in Ramazan."

Ali Pervaiz expressed concern over trade deficit and said that only way forward for the government was to enable exporting industry to generate exportable surplus and earn precious foreign exchange to overcome trade deficit for current year. The export growth achieved in the recent past would reverse if the potential to produce of the industry was disturbed due to 10 to 12 hours industry load-shedding, he added. The per unit cost of the mills relying upon system gas and RLNG would shoot up to Rs 14 per unit as well, therefore, both the mills relying either on independent feeders or captive power plants would have to become further uncompetitive, he maintained.

APTMA Punjab Chairman demanded an immediate announcement of Prime Minister relief package to bring down electricity tariff from Rs 10.5 to Rs 8 per kWh, besides the system gas quota of 28 percent be enhanced to 50 percent so that high price of RLNG be reduced.

"The APTMA leadership will protect its members from all types of discrimination, as the industry cannot pass on cross subsidy, inefficiencies and the financial cost of sales tax and duty drawbacks to its buyers in the international market," said Gohar Ejaz.

He hoped that Finance Minister would understand the crisis like situation of textile industry in Punjab and play his effective role in resolving the textile sector's problems.

According to him, the Punjab industry cannot survive with 10 hours load shedding and high price of energy.