Textile industry pleads for exemption from gas loadshedding

Textile industry in Punjab has pleaded for exemption from gas load shedding, which is badly affecting manufacturing of 6 million metre cloth on daily basis. The ongoing gas shortage has put the textile industry upside down in Punjab. It has resulted in closure of about 43 percent of the production capacity, leaving large number of labourers jobless.
A reduction in the international cotton prices is adding fuel to the situation, causing worries to all stakeholders including cotton growers, ginners, spinners and value-added exporters. Sui gas department had announced a schedule for suspension of gas supply to industries for three days under gas load management plan. Accordingly, gas supply to the industries remained suspended for the third day on Friday, bringing all productive activities in the mills and factories to a standstill and throwing thousands of wage earners jobless.
It may be noted that the National Assembly Standing Committee on Textile Industry early this week called for reduction in the time span for power and gas load shedding for textile sector along with separation of independent feeders for industrial and domestic consumers.
The textile and ginning sectors are reluctant to make further investment due to power outages and gas load shedding in the country. The textile circles believe that there are bright chances of textile products export to reach $14 billion this fiscal year and it is important to ensure regular supply of power and gas to textile and spinning mills in the country. They added the whole textile business involves 24-hour working, as it has to meet the needs of all local and foreign markets' demands.
It may be noted that the textile industry has proposed generation of 6,000 mw electricity in 3 years through hydel, coal and gas under medium term plan of energy policy, besides removing of subsidies without delay. The Chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma), Gohar Ejaz, is of the view that the textile industry looks for energy mix at an affordable rate, besides a reliable and transparent distribution system and a repositioning on priority list under the energy policy.