The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Faisalabad has allowed 132 industrial units to start production which have confirmed export orders but the industry in Karachi is still awaiting such instructions.

In a letter to Commissioner Faisalabad Division, Deputy Director, TDAP, Faisalabad, Fazal-ur-Rehman Rao has shared the list of 132 units which are being allowed to start production in the light of instructions issued by the Ministry of Commerce on April 9, 2020.

Exporters have been asked to provide the following documents to get permission to open the industrial units: (i) copy of L/C of the confirmed export order; (ii) proforma invoice of the confirmed export order;(iii) confirmed purchase order/ sales contract with specific details of buyers & sellers and ;(iv) under taking on stamp paper of Rs 100 from the exporters that the goods produced so, will not be sold in the domestic market.

Some of the units which have been allowed to start productions are as follows: (i) Crescent Textile Mills; (ii) Bismillah Textile Ltd; (iii) Adil Tahir Textiles; (iv) Kaat Tex; (v) Hadi Textiles; (vi) Dawood Exports (Pvt) Ltd; (vii) A B Exports (Pvt) Ltd; (viii) Be Be Jan Pakistan Ltd; (ix) Best Exports (Pvt) Ltd; (x) Ahmad Weaving; (xi) Kamal Hosiery Mills; (xii) Star Fabrics; (xiii) Sitara Textile Industries; (xiv) A A International; (xv) Al-Qureshi Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd; (xvi) All Textiles; (xvii) Adil Hassan Textiles; (xviii) Arzii Textile Mills Ltd; (xix) Gohar Textile Mills Ltd; (xx) Haram Textile; (xxi) M K Sons (Pvt) Ltd; (xxii) Yasmin Weaving; (xxiii) Majeed Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd; (xxiv) Resource Code Int'l and (xxv) Kamal Textile Mills (Pvt) Ltd.

Commerce Secretary Sardar Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera, in letters to Chief Secretaries of provinces had stated that a presentation was made by the Ministry of Commerce on April 9, 2020 to the National Command and Control Centre on the steps taken so far towards mitigation of COVID-19 related issues of industries and opening of industrial units with confirmed export orders.

The MoC had proposed the following procedure for considering applications of industrial units with confirmed export orders for exemption from the lockdown: (i) any such industrialist may apply either to the Deputy Commissioner of the district in which the industry is situated or to the regional office of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP); (ii) the applicant shall include the following documents (a) L/C of confirmed order( b) proforma invoice of confirmed orders(c) confirmed purchase orders with specific details of seller& buyer and (d) undertaking on stamp paper of Rs 100 from the exporter that the product/commodities will not be sold in the domestic market and that the mentioned order is bona fide.

In case of lack of capacity in the DC office for examining proof of confirmed export order, the focal persons of the DC office will furnish this to the designated focal person of TDAP office, either through email or WhatsApp. Contact list of all the focal persons of TDAP will be furnished to the provincial focal person of each province so that necessary coordination could be done.

Focal person of the TDAP shall examine and give his opinion to the focal person of the DC office concerned by the same means of communication, within 24 hours, whereby the districts administration may take a decision on the application.

For convenience of the provincial government/DC concerned, all applications referred to MoC/TDAP shall be forwarded to the provincial focal person with the proposal that an undertaking shall be obtained from the applicant/industrialist that they will operate the unit subject to the following terms and conditions: (a) compliance with all federal/provincial SOPs that have been or shall be notified/issued for Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) protocols ;(b) compliance with all the notified federal/provincial laws and regulations that have been or shall be notified in terms of labour, manufacturing and transportation of goods within cities/provinces and to the ports; (c) compliance with rules and laws relating to cross border trade of good for exports; (d) only bare minimum required labour would be allowed to work within the approved timeframe; (e) any other law/regulation/order that the respective provincial government may notify in future and; (f) the industry owner will produce proof of the export order for provincial/district authorities at the time of obtaining NOC.