The Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir has claimed that his government is making some serious and well-planned efforts to increase value-addition in the textile sector to attract more shares in the regional and international markets. Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan's claim came in an opening ceremony of the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association's three-day international Textile Asia Exhibition at Lahore Expo Centre.
"The Pakistan textile export has decreased but it is low-valued textile products like cotton, yarn and grey fabric, because value-added garment sector export has registered a significant growth. Pakistan's exports of readymade garments grew 10.05 percent to $2.101 billion in 2014-15 from $1.909 billion, despite the internal and external challenges. It is unfortunate that Pakistan is the fourth largest cotton producing country in the world but it failed in converting this local produce in to value-added products. It fetches only $1.17 billion per million bales whereas our competitors Bangladesh gets $6 billion and India gets $1.79 billion," he said.
"I want every staple length of our cotton and yarn be transformed into cloth and garments for export. Value-addition is needed in entire chain of textile sector. It is blessing in disguise that low value textile products export has decreased, giving us opportunity to convert it in high value."
He lauded the PRGMEA for conducting such a huge textile show and announcing full support to the apparel sector to continue its high performance. "The PRGMEA is taking the initiative with the collaboration of Ecommerce Gateway and bringing textile machinery fair in Pakistan to increase productivity and for better competitiveness. The mega fair is going to provide the local small textile industry a best opportunity where more than 350 international brands from around 29 countries have displayed their products in more than 500 stalls." PRGMEA Central Chairman Ijaz Khokhar, Vice Chairman Malik and President of the Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan Dr Khurshid Nizam also spoke.
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