Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) on Thursday said that textile sector needs immediate attention of the government for its survival otherwise people would be rendered jobless after the closure of textile industry. MCCI President Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi said the textile sector is the largest urban employment provider and largest foreign exchange earner, which deserves resolution of the problems immediately, he said.
Energy crisis, refund claims, input costs, more taxes, lack of enabling rules and other issues have increased the cost of doing business for this important sector. He said, "Current scenario is depressing as our production is restricted and exports are shrinking."
In this situation, the textile millers have no option but to start protests, which reflects the gravity of the situation while sending the negative signals, he noted. Roomi said that instead of moving forward with the value addition, the country is going backwards by exporting more of the raw materials like cotton and yarn.
MCCI chief said that all the regional countries are following good practices, facilitating export sector, paying hidden subsidies while allowing export of surplus cotton only. He said that a proper regulatory policy for cotton and yarn exports and liberal import policy for raw materials can save one of the most important industries of the country.