In case any attempt is made for enhancement of the rates of Sui gas and electricity, it would cast devastating repercussions upon our national economy and the achievement of our stipulated export targets shall remain a far cry.
These apprehensions were envisaged by Chairman All Pakistan Textile Processing Association (APTPMA), Sheikh Muhammad Amjad and Life Chairman Action Committee APTPMA, G. R. Arshad, through a joint press statement.
Elaborating their contention, they reiterated that quite recently, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had authorised Sui Southern Gas Company, (SSGC) to enhance the prices of Sui gas from Rs 166.86 to Rs 174.66 per MMBTU.
This enhancement was withdrawn as a result of protest lodged by regional office of Aptpma. Oddly enough, however, the govt is now contemplating to increase the price of gas for industrial consumers by 5.6 percent and that of fertiliser units by 10 percent while an official notification to that effect is in the offing and a similar enhancement is apprehended with regard to electricity tariff, contended the signatories of the joint press release.
They further argued that natural gas has assumed the status of our basic raw material, which accounts for as much as 30 percent of our cost of production.
Likewise, electricity bill constitutes a substantial part of our input cost.
In view of the prevalent global scenario, when WTO is just around the corner, our exporter units are constrained to sell their products to the international buyer at minimal margin of profit to stay in business, while the governments in our neighbourly countries, eg, India, China, Hong Kong and Indonesia are providing gas and electricity to their exporters at rock bottom rates and even free of cost.
If at such a critical juncture the government of Pakistan tries to enhance the gas and electricity tariff even to the bare minimum, we shall, God forbid, be ousted from the international export market, and the fulfillment of our stipulated export targets shall remain a far cry, cautioned the Aptpma top brass.
In view of these grave apprehensions, Sheikh Amjad and G. R. Arshad fervently appealed to the govt that if any proposal of enhancement of gas and power tariff is under consideration.