A roundtable conference of the textile industry associations have demanded of the government to announce revival package for the textile industry immediately in order to avoid a nosedive fall in exports. The conference has further demanded of energy tariff equalisation all across the country with availability of gas at a countrywide uniform rate and electricity at Rs 7 per unit.
These demands were presented in a roundtable conference attended by the office bearers and representatives from textile industry associations including the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association, Pakistan Ready-made Garments Exporters and Manufacturers Association, All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association and the Council of Power looms Associations at the APTMA House Lahore. The conference was organised by the APTMA. Those who addressed the press conference included Chairman APTMA Aamir Fayyaz, Vice Chairman APTPMA Pervez Lala, Vice Chairman PTEA M Naeem, Chairman PAKSEA Shahzad Azam, Tariq Fayyaz from PRGMEA and others.
The industry leadership was invited to deliberate and formulate a joint strategy for restoration of viability of all sectors of textile industry, particularly in Punjab. The participants sought a level playing field all across the country to let the textile industry grow. The industry leadership has appealed to chief minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif to play its role to save the industry of Punjab from destruction. The industry leadership also announced that they are planning to form Punjab Textile Federation or Forum.
They also stressed the government to announce immediately a textile industry revival package and mitigate the energy tariff disparity hitting 70 percent textile industry in Punjab against the textile units located in other provinces. The industry leaders also urged the government to overcome structural imbalances at the earliest.
The participants of the roundtable conference expressed their concern over a delay in the announcement of textile package saying that the industry was losing the opportunity of getting export orders from heimtextile exhibition in January besides losing the potential of GSP plus facility. "Revival of 35 percent closed capacity was also being delayed and the industry was not taking new investment decision because of the prevailing uncertainty," they said.
They also said that the industry has lost exports billions $ in quantitative terms during the last two years because of it. They appealed the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to not only announce the much-awaited textile package but also start holding regular meetings with the textile industry under his growth-led strategy. They said despite the fact that the announcement of textile package has been delayed but still it is the right time for the government to intervene and save the industry.
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