Former President Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) Ijaz A Khokar has said that prevailing power crisis is badly affecting the garments sector, which has already been hit by high inflation, growth decline and monetary crunch.
Talking to Business Recorder here on Sunday Khokhar urged the government to take immediate measures overcome and smearing power crisis and electricity and gas cuts to industrial sector, cautioning that otherwise unemployment, reduction in tax, failure in achieving export target would add to miseries of the business community and deepen the economic crisis.
Commenting on the current state of the textile sector, which makes up more than 67 per cent exports of the country, Akbar Sheikh, Cahirman, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) Punjab Zone said that rising production cost due to non-availability of uninterrupted power and gas supply to the industrial units, has reduced the production and increased cost of doing business in Pakistan.
He said that Textile sector is contributing a lot for the development of the economic growth of the country but government is not paying due attention to the problems of this significant sector.
Shahzad Azam Khan Central Chairman and M. Javed Aslam Zonal Chairman of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association said that due prolong power outages the industry was unable to execute exports orders in hand and was also not in a position to make further commitments with foreign buyers due to inability in the wake of the worst energy crises that Hosiery sector was facing today. They further said that the knitwear apparel export industry, which is already passing through a difficult phase due to internal and external pressures, had been badly hit by the on going electricity crises.
The frequent and prolonged power shut down has crippled this export-oriented industry which is employing hundreds of thousands of skilled labour force. They said that the law and order situation had also adversely affected our country profile and as a result foreign buyers are not coming to Pakistan.