Textile sector dreading gas suspension

Says declining exports can be blamed on govt’s ill-advised policies

FAISALABAD: The Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has expressed its dismay at the authorities’ decision to suspend gas in winter for industries and termed the decision unilateral.

The association said that the government should shelve its gas outage plan to bring the country’s economy out of stagnation, as this suspension would not only hamper industrial growth, but would also render a countless number of people jobless.

Additionally, poor gas supply adversely impacts the $13-billion export industry.

Expressing great concern over the petroleum minister’s statement, PTEA Chairman Sohail Pasha and PTEA Vice Chairman Rizwan Riaz Saigal said on Tuesday that gas curtailment in winters would push the textile industry to the wall.

“Government should stop unilateral policies and keep stakeholders in the loop with such decisions,” a statement said. “The country, at present, is going through a very serious economic crisis in terms of escalating cost of production.

The government, on one side, is contemplating increasing targets for industrial growth and on the other side has imposed harsh decisions as a result of which industries in Punjab, particularly textiles, are facing a decline.”

PTEA termed the energy shortage as the prime cause of economic instability and decline in industrial growth.

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

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.