Energy crisis: textile exports decline by 9.3 percent

Syed Muhammad Aasim Shah, a leader of Value-added Textile Form (VTF) said here on Tuesday that since the 2011 has been declared as the year of textile government should ensure proper supply of gas and electricity to value added sector as well as spinning industry.
Reacting on the five days gas loads shedding, Syed Aasim Shah said that Textile sector is neither supplied gas nor electricity on priority basis. So the export target could hardly be achieved due to interrupted gas supplies to the textile industries particularly in Punjab as over 75 percent of textile production is in this province. Though the textile exports increased in value terms by $1.6 billion in seven months but in terms of quantity there was a decline of 9.3 per cent due to energy crunch in the country.
Talking to newsmen here on Tuesday he said the SNGPL Managing Director has been given extension in his service to effectively ensure the task given by the federal govt. He said as to how gas load shedding could increase to five days a week when the weather is much pleasant than severe cold of December and January when the gas supply to industries was cut by three days a week.
He said SNGPL has not notified any reduction in gas production. He said President Asif Ali Zardari has convened a meeting to avoid simmering labour unrest after Punjab mills lay off half million daily wage workers on the first day of cut in gas supplies. We were hopeful that the gas supplies would be restored after meeting with the president.
He said the mills are bearing the cost of over 1.5 million regular workers, as they remained closed due to gas cut. However he regretted around half million daily wage workers could not be engaged due to stoppage of all gas related production function. Now the onus of entire gas shortage is borne entirely by Punjab industries.
Punjab industries faced 100 days of gas curtailment in 2009-10 out of which gas supply was cut for 55 days during summer and 45 days during winter. The gas supplies were curtailed this fiscal for 54 days with gas supply suspension of 10 days in November 2010, 14 days in December 2010, 18.5 days in January 2011 and 16 days in February 2011.Punjab industrialists complain that short supply of energy is impacting their productivity. One textile miller said Punjab is the hub of textiles in Pakistan.