The Pakistan Bedwear Exporters Association (PBEA) has welcomed the 4,000 tonnes grant of Exceptional Flexibility (EF) quota by the European Union (EU), and said that it would help increase export earnings considerably in the last quota year.
PBEA founder Chairman Shabbir Ahmed said on Saturday that it was heartening to note that the bedwear exporters would get 1,500 tonnes out of the total EF quota, which was keenly awaited to boost the bed-linen exports. Similarly, the export of shorts and hosiery products would also get a big boost with similar allocation of the quotas, he added.
Shabbir Ahmed attributed the release of the EF quota by the EU to the efforts made by Commerce Secretary Tasneem Noorani, who is presently in Brussels to discuss matters relating to the textile trade.
He expressed the hope that as a result of talks with the EU authorities by the Commerce Secretary, the issue of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) would also be resolved and Pakistan would get extension of the duty-free facility.
PBEA current Chairman Aziz Jamal has also welcomed the grant of the EF quota by the EU, and said early release of the quota would help the exporters plan shipments in time to reach their destinations before the close of the year, marking abolition of the textile quotas.