The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has deferred the call of observing December 6 as a black day after an assurance by Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif of taking up the industry issues with the Prime Minister and gets them resolved.
Textile industry associations will hold a roundtable conference on one point agenda of availability of electricity and gas at regionally competitive price without intra-province disparity by the end of this week. The decisions were taken in a meeting of leading textile industry associations at the APTMA Punjab on Monday. Representatives from All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, Council of Power Looms and other value-added industry associations attended the meeting.
APTMA Punjab Chairman Syed Ali Ahsan while talking to the textile industry representatives said that the delegation of all textile industry associations would also call on Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi today to apprise him of the industry problems. Ali Ahsan said 70 percent of spinning, 55 percent of weaving and 60 percent of processing industry is located in the province of Punjab which has become unviable due to the high cost of doing business. He urged the government to announce a textile package without delay.
He also said that 35 percent capacity of the industry has been closed down because of the fact that the cost of doing business in Punjab has jacked up by 10 percent against the industry located in other provinces. Ali said the production cost of industry, relying either on WAPDA or RLNG-fed energy, has been equalised and the Punjab-based textile industry is missing a level playing field badly in the region. "Exports of both yarn and fabric have dropped by 30 percent and 35 percent respectively in quantitative terms against already achieved highest level of exports," he added.
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