Multan Chamber of Commerce & Industry has sent a SOS call to the government for saving the local textile industry from destruction and joblessness of millions of workers. President of MCCI Fareed Mughis Sheikh has said that the surge in import of man-made fibres (MMF) yarns including polyester, viscose and acrylic and fabrics in the domestic commerce was badly affecting the local textile industry.
He said the competitors of Pakistan textile industry in Far East, China and India are producing MMF yarns and fabrics at comparatively lower energy cost. "On the other hand, the textile industry in Pakistan is facing highest energy cost in the region," Sheikh Fareed asserted. He said that the import of MMF yarns has surged to 72,300 tons in 2014-15 against 47,700 tons in 2012-13. Similarly, the import of fabric made from MMF yarns has also reached to 562,000 square meters in 2014-15 against 180,000 square meters in 2012-13.
MCCI President alleged that government has not levied 10 percent regulatory duty on the dumped and subsidised MMF yarns and fabrics in order to protect the domestic industry. He said that imposition of ten percent regulatory duty of import of yarn and cotton from India was ambiguous and bureaucracy has left a back door for corrupt elements. He said the local industry has first right on the domestic commerce. Hardly a very little quantity of MMF yarns and fabrics are produced for export purposes. Therefore, tariff or non-tariff measures to restrict subsidised import of MMF yarn and fabric would not hurt the production of textile goods meant for exports, he added.
He has urged the government to safeguard the domestic industry and save the jobs and exports of local MMF yarns and fabrics producing textile mills by imposing regulatory duty on the import of MMF yarns and fabrics immediately. He has urged the government to announce the remaining part of the textile package without further delay to save the textile industry from total collapse.
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