Electricity, gas crisis batter textile output

Official says mills are on verge of shutdown, business losing orders

LAHORE:

The suspension of electricity and gas supply to the industries has choked the production activities of the textile sector of the country especially in Punjab, lamented All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) Chairman Abdul Rahim Nasir.

In a statement on Thursday, he stated that the mills were on the brink of closure due to non-availability of energy which was resulting in loss of export orders and sacking of workers.

He highlighted that the Ministry of Energy had abruptly suspended gas supply to the textile sector.

On the other hand, industrial activities have also been suffering due to tripping of transmission lines as people are using electricity for their heating needs due to a sudden drop in temperature, he added.

Nasir urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to intervene and direct the relevant authorities to resolve the issue on an immediate basis. He regretted that relevant departments had turned a deaf ear to the problem.

Talking about Punjab, he lamented that the industries of the province were hit the hardest as they faced an increase in the gas tariff from $6.5 to $9 per million British thermal units (mmbtu) besides load shedding.

“The industrial base of Punjab is facing discrimination compared to other provinces and this can be detrimental to the overall growth of the national economy in the long run,” the Aptma chairman said.

He stressed that around 70% of the textile industry of Pakistan was based in Punjab and “suspension of gas might bring the sector to a complete halt”.

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It would also adversely impact the country’s exports that witnessed robust growth during the previous year and fetched fresh investments in the sector, he added.

Regarding electricity, he underlined that around 96 extension of load/ new connection cases of the mills of Aptma member were pending with power distribution companies.

“Besides, there are serious power supply issues hindering smooth operations of the mills,” he said.

He highlighted that the authorities had not taken any corrective measures even when the mills had shared their interruption reports with relevant distribution companies.

The industry would not be able to fulfill its commitments with the international buyers if the current problems persisted, the chairman said.

“The orders lost once are lost forever and it will be extremely difficult for the industry to reverse the situation,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2021.

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