Chairman Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) (Central), Khurshid Alam has expressed concerns over the government's decision to observe weekly two-day gas load shedding, which will certainly damage the highly value-added leather sector, backbone of the exporting industry.
Alam warned that if government continues to adopt such harmful policy, the country will face economic disaster. The decision, he added, is detrimental for the tanning industry as for preservation of costly raw material, hides and skins, 24 hours of supply becomes all the more essential. As a result of two-day gas load shedding, the industry will face shortage of more than 33 percent of gas supply.
In the winter season, not only seasonal but also maintenance shutdown badly affects the leather industry, a continuous processing industry. He further said Eid-ul-Azha is coming and on this occasion, hides and skins in bulk quantity are purchased by tanners and are to be preserved for longer period but gas load shedding will hinder the process.
Chairman PTA observed that electricity break down and its load shedding in the country in general and particularly in Punjab is causing heavy damage to the leather industry. Exports of leather sector are already on decline by 30 percent, and will further go down if such anti-business policies are continued.
Keeping in view the difficulties resulting in slow down of production and export of leather, Alam urged Prime Minister, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani to grant appointment to the delegation to discuss key issues on priority basis, if the government wants promotion of exports. He warned that if no positive step is taken in this regard, manufacturers and exporters of leather will be compelled to close down their factories, which will not only cause unemployment but also be a great loss to the national ex-chequer.-PR