Minister for Textile Industry, Rana Farooq Saeed Khan has said Pakistan will not beg for market access to US and EU markets because it genuinely qualifies for it now. The minister said floods have devastated the infrastructure in many areas of the country therefore Pakistan should be provided market access to the US and EU markets. He said a delegation of the textile ministry would soon visit the US, EU and Canada to lobby for market access.
The US and EU should themselves extend market access facility to the textile industry while keeping in mind the role it has played as a frontline state against terrorism. He said magnitude of floods wreckage is worse than Tsunami in Sri Lanka and earthquake in Haiti.
However, the minister clarified that not more than 10 percent of the cotton crop is hit by the floods and added that he was misquoted by a section of press that 40 percent of cotton crop is likely to be damaged in floods. It may be noted that Aptma has proposed the government to pursue the US government for supply of two million cotton bales under the USAID programme. The minister has liked the idea and is all set to take up the proposal with the president and the prime minister shortly.
"I am taking up the case of market access and import of two million cotton bales from the US under the USAID programme with the president and the prime minister soon," he said. Central Chairman Aptma, Shahzad Ahmed, who was also accompanying him, said Aptma is fully supportive to the minister for textile industry on his approach towards market access and import of cotton bales from the US under the USAID programme.