Chairman Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) Ijaz A. Khokhar said Sialkot has become fourth largest producer of readymade garments and sportswear, particularly in martial arts uniforms. In an interview with Business Recorder here on Friday evening he said Sialkot is exporting 30 percent of the world-wide consumption of martial arts uniforms.
China is major competitor which is becoming uncompetitive due to the increase in labour cost as a result of which now world-wide business flow from China is diverting towards Pakistan for which we have to prepare ourselves to handle this incoming business share, he said.
Ijaz said this flow of business to Pakistan will be long term one and for this particular purpose, we need to train our workforce both male and female for a qualitative growth of the apparel industry. Ijaz said that textile and garment industries are the major contributors towards the national economy adding that garment industry has a sizeable share in the total export from Pakistan.
He was of the opinion that incoming business flow this sizeable share could be increased exponentially by producing trained workforce and to control the labour cost and by virtue of this Pakistan will become a favoured choice for outsourcing of major brands.
Chairman PRGMEA further said it is heartening that the National Assembly Chairman Standing Committee on Textile Industry and members have supported and appreciated the idea of Pakistan's Readymade Garments Technical Institute and termed it a mandatory for garment industry of Sialkot. The institute would be a potential source of training for suburban and surrounding small cities like Sambrial, Wazirabad, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Daska and Pasrur, he added.
The establishment of this institute will help produce trained and skilled industrial workforce and cater the needs of the industry, he said. Ijaz said we have also propose that setting up Sialkot Garments Industrial Park in which build up units for 50 to 100 machines would be rented to SME sector.
He said gas supply should be ensured for full week for the dyeing and processing units to enable the garment industry to main operational for attaining the export target of 25 billion dollar in 2014. Chairman PRGMEA also proposed that five seats should be reserved for PRGMEA Sialkot in National Textile University Faisalabad and representation in Federal Export Board, TDAP Board, TEVYA Board and Textile Board.
About the proposal of setting up Campus for Sialkot Textile University is highly appreciated and encouraged by the Standing Committee, he said. The Chairman PRGMEA said that it is very encouraging that Chairman and members of Standing Committee have assured more meetings of the committee to be held in Sialkot for resolving the problems of garment industry.