Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Gohar Ejaz has demanded immediate withdrawal of 6 percent import duty as well as anti-dumping duty on import of Polyester Staple Fiber (PSF) to enable textile industry to manufacture competitive blended textile products both for domestic & export markets.
An APTMA delegation led by central Chairman called on the Federal Minister for Textile Industry and made detailed presentation on the existing situation arising out of the short supply of PSF amidst cotton shortage. Representatives of the PSF manufacturers were also present on the occasion.
Chairman APTMA Gohar Ejaz said the PSF-dependent textile industry was short of supply of 10,000 tones of PSF monthly, mainly due to closed capacities in the country. The tariff protection of 6 percent duty on import stage besides the anti-dumping duties ranging up to 10 percent has made economically unviable for textile industry to import PSF and meet requirements for manufacturing blended yarn textile products.
He said the PSF is used for manufacturing poor man's products by the industry and prevailing obstacles are inflicting adverse impact on growth of textile industry by and large. Further, he said, import restrictions have also deprived local textile industry to import and utilise it accordingly.
Chairman APTMA said PSF is a direct substitute of cotton, already short in Pakistan and a timely provision to import duty free PSF would make Pakistan textile industry competitive regionally as well as internationally. He urged the Policymakers for removal of Customs and Anti-Dumping duties on imports from all origins.
Import of PSF is severely hampered due to such an unfair practice. Such unmerited treatment to our friendly Chinese counterparts is damaging relations between businessmen of the two countries. The whole textile chain is operating duty-free whereby cotton, which is short in Pakistan is being exported freely and yarn can be imported without duties, PSF has been slapped with Anti-Dumping duty and import tariffs. Unless PSF and cotton are treated equally, value-added industry based upon synthetic blends will suffer heavily.