Value-added textile: Govt urged to devise policies on provincial basis

ANWAR KHAN

KARACHI: Value-added textile manufacturers and exporters demand of the government to devise policies for industries on provincial basis as every federating unit has its different problems particularly regarding the unavailability of power of gas.

“Value-added textile industry is no more efficient export-oriented sector of the country as power and gas shortage locked its growth,” Chief Coordinator, Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Prgmea), Ijaz Khokhar told Business Recorder on Saturday.

The value-added textile industry now needs a different government’s approach for its outstanding issues especially the gas and electricity ones, he said, adding the manufacturing units in Punjab were faced with an acute shortage of electricity. He said the industrial units just received six to eight hours of electricity in 24 hours a day, adding “the power and gas crisis curbed the industrial growth in the country and the productions of export-oriented sectors are now stagnant”.

He said India had such policies for its every state with a view to deal with their problems on merit and urgent basis to protect the manufacturing growth from stagnation. “Pakistani government should also begin devising policies on provincial basis along with national ones,” he demanded. Ijaz Khokhar said former federal finance minister Shaukat Tarin and former federal minister for textile industries Rana Farooq Saeed Khan had initiated better policies to solving the problems of export-oriented sectors. He said their abandoned policies should be resumed to grow the country’s exports.

He said if the electricity and gas shortage continued at the same pace then Punjab’s industries would be the utmost sufferers in coming years. He urged the government to introduce uniform policy for distribution of power and gas to industries in all provinces. “Nearly 90 percent of industrial production will be hit in Punjab alone as the province is suffering an acute and persistent shortage of key utilities,” he showed concerns, adding that the country could not afford economic recession or stagnation anymore.

Prgmea Chief Coordinator said the country was now being globally considered an uncertain exporting country only because of the untimely shipments to the world markets in the wake of gas and power shortage.

“We are just now retaining the existing global buyers and not going to negotiate new deals,” he said. The country’s export of garments fell by 139 million dollars in the fiscal year 2012, as manufacturers-cum-exporters call for financial assistance to salvage their downsized production and overcome soaring cost of business, he said.