More than 600 industrial units including processing, printing, sizing, dyeing units, hosiery, and chemical manufacturing plants remained closed on third consecutive day, here on Tuesday, due to gas loadshedding of four days by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).
A large number of textile weaving machines, ancillaries and small hosiery and stitching units also remain closed due to prevailing liquidity crunch and precious machinery becoming scrape. Talking to newsmen, Chaudhry Salamat Ali, Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone said that value added textile sector was the lifeline of Pakistan's economy but due to distorted priorities this base was gradually being eroded and the manufacturing and exports were being crushed.
He demanded of the government to accord preferential treatment to textile sector and save the industry and the economy from destruction. He mentioned that gas is imperative to run the wheel of textile industry. But without its availability, nobody could even think to run industry and boost exports.
He said that most of the industrial units in upcountry have been closed and the remaining would also close down. He said that the output of the industrial sector declined sharply in 2010 owing to electricity and gas shortages. He also said that if the leadership is unsuccessful in resolving the industrial problems on an urgent basis, almost 30 percent industries might close down in 2011.
He demanded that the new cabinet should take immediate measures to save the textile sector of Punjab. He pointed out that the supply of gas had been completely suspended to textile industrial sector for 22 days in December, 23 days in January and that it was happening only in Punjab. He demanded that business community and value added textile industry must be taken in confidence while policy making to resolve the energy crisis, financial crisis and law and order situation. He also expressed that four to six days suspension of gas had badly affected the production of exports goods and textile industry is under sheer pressure.
He further pointed out that four to six days in a week gas loadshedding problem has resulted in the loss of millions of jobs and is inflicting on the industrial sector alone an annual loss of over Rs 220 billion. The textile manufacturers and exporters are unable to export products timely and the foreign buyers are losing confidence on the Pakistani exporters, he added. Gas prices in the last couple of years have been raised by 73 percent, as a result our products are becoming uncompetitive in international market and stoppage of gas has further increased problems for the industrialists. He stressed that government should come up with the solution to tackle this problem.
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