APTMA, Tajikistan association sign MoU

The All Pakistan Textile Mill Association (APTMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union of Private Sector Development of Tajikistan for an intensive week-long business tour of the Tajikistan textile delegation to Pakistan, aimed at establishing business contacts, learning best practices and experiences, and developing long-term collaborations. Central Chairman APTMA Syed Ali Ahsan, Chairman APTMA Punjab Adil Bashir and other office-bearers of the Association were present on this occasion.
APTMA gave a presentation on the textile industry structure, strength and opportunities and the way forward for achieving various goals for doubling investment, production, exports and employment . The presentation also highlighted prospects of cooperation at Association level with Tajikistan textile industry.
It may be noted that a delegation consisting of managers and representatives from 13 textile and clothing (T&C) companies, two consulting companies, two universities, as well as the Union of Private Sector Development and the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan is visiting Lahore and Faisalabad during a business study tour starting from last Saturday.
This is the first time ever that Tajik T&C companies have such a tour to Pakistan, which is among top 10 textile producers in the world. The study tour was organized with the support of the Government of Switzerland through the International Trade Centre (ITC)'s Global Textiles and Clothing Programme (GTEX) in close cooperation with the USAID funded project "Pakistan Regional Economic Integration Activity" (PREIA).
The USAID Pakistan Regional Economic Integration Activity (PREIA) is a five-year project instituted to further the development of Pakistan's trade sector by improving Pakistan's competitiveness in regional and international markets. Achieving this objective necessitates the establishment of linkages between private business organizations from Pakistan and the Central Asian Republics (CARs).
The main objectives of the study tour are to gain exposure to the textile value chain in Pakistan, including the use of technology, manufacturing practices, to establish business contacts and to explore the possibility of sourcing materials and understand the retail environment.