Textile industry: Commerce minister constitutes committee for exports

Policy action plan to remove hurdles faced by industry.

ISLAMABAD: Keeping in view the declining trend of Pakistan’s textile export, Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir has constituted a high level committee to bring about a ‘Policy Action Plan’ to redress the impediments confronted by the textile industry in increasing its exports.

The committee will present its recommendations in the next month which will be forwarded to the Prime Minister for swift decisions in order to reverse the declining trend in the country’s exports.

This was decided during a meeting chaired by Dastgir with representatives of APTMA, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Chairman S M Muneer and FPCCI President Mian Muhammad Adrees.

APTMA Chairman SM Tanveer, talking to The Express Tribune, said that he had a detailed two-hour long meeting with the minister regarding exporters’ issues across the country due to which mills were rapidly shutting down and which was to have serious implications on the country’s economy.

The association proposed to bring about a level playing field for Pakistani textile producer as regional competitors are heavily subsidising and their governments are supporting their textile sector.

The minister directed the committee to hold negotiations with all fourteen associations of the textile sector and bring about viable proposals keeping view the constraints faced by the government.

Representatives of APTMA demanded government’s support as international competitors in the textile sector are eroding Pakistan’s preferences.

“The government should also take stern and swift steps in case where dumping and smuggling of goods is reported,” they said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th,  2015.

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