Textile representatives stage protest

Demand release of refunds, supply of energy at competitive prices

FAISALABAD: Textile industrialists and labourers staged a demonstration against anti-industry and anti-export attitude of the government in front of Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) offices.

Demanding release of refunds and supply of energy at competitive prices, the demonstrators chanted slogans and held placards in favour of their demands. Textile workers also staged demonstrations at their factories in different areas of the city and placed protest banners.



The non-serious attitude of the government institutions is the root of the problems affecting the country’s textile industry, which has an annual export turnover of $14 billion, said PTEA Chairman Ajmal Farooq. Policymakers are not serious about resolving issues of the textile industry and the situation is worsening day by day pushing the biggest job-providing industry towards disaster, he added.

Elaborating on the consequences of the crisis, he said that industrial wheels have come to a halt as a result of extreme cash flow crunch. Billions of rupees of exporters are stuck in refund regime and they are badly deprived of liquidity. Despite several promises for repayment of outstanding refunds, the government has still not fulfilled its commitment.

He termed Prime Minister’s Export-led Growth Package a positive one but non-allocation of funds for the incentives of this package has shattered all hopes. Only Rs1 billion have been released in six months under this package out of Rs180 billion, said Farooq.

Furthermore, no effective measures have been proposed in budget 2017-18 for industrial progress, increase in exports, reduction in production cost and enhancing the competitive edge of Pakistani goods in international market, the chairman deplored.



PTEA Vice Chairman Muhammad Naeem was of the view that the textile sector was facing a severe crisis. It was underutilised, due to which the country was not fetching the full potential of foreign exchange earnings.

Terming energy prices 10% higher than the competing countries of India and Bangladesh, he demanded the supply of gas to export-oriented textile industry at the price of Rs400/mmbtu. Former PTEA chairman Khurram Muhktar also stressed on stepping up efforts to save the sector and demanded immediate payment of stuck refunds.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2017.

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