Establishment of five cotton fibre testing laboratories,
to cost Rs 68.862 million, has been approved by the Central
Development Working Party (CDWP) of the Planning and
Development Division, said Mushtaq Ali Cheema. He said that
the laboratories would be established one each at Bahawalpur,
Sahiwal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad and Hyderabad under
Phase-II.
Pakistan is still waiting for a bill to be presented in
the US Congress for duty-free access to the US markets for
products made in the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs)
and in earthquake-affected areas, a bill for duty free access
to Bangladesh and Cambodia has already passed in the US
Congress.
Country’s exports have missed their target for the first
quarter (July-September) of current fiscal year 2007-08 by
$320 million, said a senior official. Trade managers of the
country had fixed a target of $4.776 billion for exports and
total exports during the first quarter amounted only to
$$4.456 billion.
The commercial and industrial importers are suffering from
paying extra charges for container detention which is being
made by shipping companies and terminal operators due to delay
of departing cargo carrier.
The All-Pakistan Textile Association (APTA) has urged the
caretaker Government to allow import of all types of cotton
from all land routes, including Wagha, from India and remove
6.5% duty on imported polyester staple fibre (PSF) in order to
help spinning industry reduce its costs.
The Caretaker Government is working on another package of
subsidies and incentives for the ailing textile industry to
revive country’s falling exports. The sector had earlier been
given a package of over Rs25 billion during the last two
years.
According to a report of Pakistan Institute of Development
Economics, Pakistan’s exports of textiles are concentrated in
low value- added products despite a rising share of higher
value added textile products in global trade. To move with the
global trends, the textile industry must move up the value
chain and increase the share of high value added garments and
made-ups in its export portfolio.
The Government has chalked out a comprehensive strategy to
increase the cotton production by 5% annually, thus setting
the target of cotton production to 20.70 million bales by 2015
covering the 3.32 million hectares sowing area. The steps will
be taken to increase per hectare yield of the cotton
production to 1,060 kilograms.
Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters
Association (PRGMEA) has introduced skill development
programme in country's garments industry to promote the
country's value added sector, besides exploring and capturing
the new international markets of garments exports.
More than Rs. 23 billion Government subsidies in over two
years to the textile sector have failed to add a single
textile mills during the period, and instead there are clear
indications that a large amount has been diverted by the
beneficiaries in the setting up of industries in other
sectors.
The country will face a shortfall of around 20 %for its
fine lint cotton consumption during the season of 2007-08
while deficit of around one million bales is expected and the
current projections have been lowered to around to 12.8
million bales said President PCGA Sanghar Cotton Belt Region,
Raja Abdul Sattar.
Pakistani exporters received orders worth US $3 million
for various fabrics at the 29th Federal Fair for Home Textiles
held at the Russian exhibition centre, said Pakistan's
Ambassador Mustafa Kamal Kazi.
Mian Zahid Aslam, Chairman Pakistan Textile Exporters
Association (PTEA) has said that the main factor contributing
towards crisis in the textile industry is the high mark-up
rate on industrial credit.
The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)
unfurled two-pronged strategy to bring the crisis-hit textile
sector out of mire and suggested the Government to allow
import of all types of cotton through Wagah Border besides
controlling the prices of polyester fibre as in the absence of
these measures it is not possible to ensure supply chain.
Delay on the part of the Government to announce relief and
incentive package to textile industry on the recommendations
of the National Textile Strategy Committee (NTSC) was causing
anxiety and frustration amongst textile exporters, said Tariq
Saigol.
The Government has decided in principle to gradually
convert Research and Development (R&D) support into
export-oriented units (EOUs) promotion scheme for increasing
investment and enhancing exports.
A six-member Committee was formed in a meeting of State
Bank Governor Dr Shamshad Akhtar with the leaders of business
and industry at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of
Commerce and Industry has been formed to have a hard look at
the banks spread, loan rates, service charges and problems of
the manufacturing industry.
Pakistan's under utilised garment sector has the potential
to provide millions of jobs to women and bring about a
socio-economic change in the country, said Secretary Textiles
Zafar Mahmood.
%20copy.jpg)
