The country may face shortage of imported essential commodities and industrial raw material supply if goods transport strike continues. These concerns have been expressed by the business community.
Sources said that imported industrial raw materials, essential goods including pluses, powdered milk, etc were piling up at the ports owing to the strike by goods transporters. Business circles have strongly criticised the transporters for continuing the strike, which has paralysed all import and export activities.
They expressed fears that in case the strike prolonged further the textile exports industry would be in dire straits. Chairman, Korangi Association of Trade and Industry, Masood Naqi, said that industrialists generally keep 10 to 15 days' raw material stock in their stores to keep the units running in case of any difficulty in clearance of goods at customs stage or any other problem.
He said that around 2000 containers carry out goods from ports daily. This means that in the last four days goods of 8000 containers have already piled up at the ports. It is a serious condition and the issue of transport should be resolved on priority basis.
Chairman, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) Sindh Balochistan Zone, Muhammad Iqbal Ebrahim, demanded that the concerned officials should take immediate measures to save the textile industry exports from heavy losses that would consequently also cause losses to the national exchequer.
He said that exports of textile industry were being seriously affected due to non-availability of transport. Not only the export sector but also the import sector is affected by transporters' strike.
He said that export of yarn, fabrics and the value-added goods were in trouble as the shipment dates and the L/Cs were expiring, and vessels have already been missed and the tentative next available vessels might also be missed as no positive resolution of the strike seems in sight.
He said that this scenario would ultimately leave no choice for exporters but to air lift the export g0oods at their own expense in order to provide their customers with the ordered goods for Christmas and new year sales in time.
SITE Association of Industry Chairman Ameen Bandukda urged the Prime Minister and the Local Government to look into this serious matter and ask the National Logistic Cell (NLC) to send its vehicles for taking over goods transport operation, otherwise the country would lose exports of billion of rupees.
He said that for the past three days no shipment could be made due to which the exporters are much perturbed. It is evaluated that exporters and businessmen are suffering Rs 5 to 6 billion per day loss in terms of exports and imports of goods, raw materials, production losses, suspension in factory-to-factory and upcountry movement of goods and raw materials.
He said that the continuous strike by transports might not end as per the statements of office bearers of transporters' association appearing in the newspaper. "Our members are reporting that due to this strike no containers are available for loading the export goods or loading the same at shipping yards, which has put the textile exporters in lot of problems. They have the commitments with the foreign buyers to ship the export goods on a particular date but due to this strike they are handicapped and cannot fulfil their commitments."
He expressed fear that in case this strike prolonged further the textile export industry would be in dire straits. He termed the demands of the transporters unfounded and said that it was not a big issue. It could be resolved even without going on strike. The transporters should have in mind its repercussions as the strike was causing huge losses to external and local trade of the country. Some 2000 trucks and trailers carry import and export cargoes to and from the twin ports, which may face serious situation of huge backlog in case of non-clearance of containers.