With reference to my article in this esteemed newspaper dated 29.10.2009, I would like to bring to notice of Textile Ministry and other departments concern, an interview given by the Textile Minister of India to a widely circulated newspaper of Pakistan.
"I feel no hesitation in saying that Pakistani fabric is of international standard. The textile products of Pakistan are of good standard, long lasting and manufactured with sophisticated and computerised machinery. I am pleased over the progress of Pakistani textile but Pakistan neither introduced its products in India on commercial basis, nor considered commercially to associate with India".
Diandhi Marn, Central Textile Minister exchanged these views with a national daily with large circulation on Wednesday over telephone from his office in New Delhi. "If Pakistani exporters wish to enter the Indian market, we may provide them all resources," he added. The Indian government has invited Pakistani officials several times to come forward and work together in commercial field but no response has yet appeared to the surface.
He said that nowadays, standard of Indian Khaddi is also good in India and it is worn too. Our ministers and politicians still utilise Khaddi while this fabric is becoming extinct in Pakistan. It is cheap and still has importance in Indian tradition. However, the textile fabric manufactured in Pakistan is of international standard and if Pakistan wishes, it may be brought in Indian market.
But, Pakistani traders continue to face difficulty in trading with India for which, they expressed their views to our federation. He further added that "it is my opinion that trading should be started between the two countries which would create fair contacts among them".
Our problem in exports is not "quality" but the cost price which is the deterrent in competing with the global market. Our Textile Minister Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed Khan, after realising the problems of value added textile goods, had given a dynamic and progressive 5-year Textile Policy.
But the Finance Ministry and State Bank of Pakistan, under the pressure of IMF have taken back all the incentives which would have helped to grow our exports, like hike in energy prices such as electricity, gas, diesel and oil etc. Now, the APTMA (spinning mills) have also joined hands with IMF and Finance Ministry by raising the price of yarn in the local market which they always do on all such occasions.
Cotton prices, no doubt, have gone up due to connivance of big zamindars and ginners but the impact of this increase on yarn is hardly 10% while the spinners have increased the prices by 40 to 50% and have also created an artificial shortage of yarn in the domestic market. This is not new but their old game. Imposition of quota on yarn twice in the past has not taught them any lesson. The situation of yarn is very much like that of sugar, atta and rice where cartels hoarded huge stocks to make quick money.
It is requested that a certain percentage of export duty be levied on the export of raw cotton and coarse yarn for 5-years otherwise export target will never be achieved. From the statement of Textile Minister of India, it would appear that Pakistani Textile goods are of standard quality and therefore we should not be blamed for bad quality as an impediment in exporting Pakistani textiles.
(Patron-in-Chief and Founder Chairman, Towel Manufacturers' Association of Pakistan)