Textile export orders worth $5bn lost’

[LahoreEstate]

Saturday, January 24, 2009
FAISALABAD: Textile export orders worth $5 billion were lost at Heimtextil Fair Germany this year while sixty thousand jobs are in danger as a result of the downfall in industrial production in Faisalabad region due to severe load shedding of electricity and gas.

This was stated by Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Chairman Muhammad Yousaf here on Friday while addressing a press conference on his return from Germany where he participated in Heimtextil Exhibition in Frankfurt. Vice Chairman Rehan Naseem Bharara was also present in the conference.

He observed that with ever increasing prices of raw materials, inputs and overhead expenses, high cost of production in the country is rendering our textile exports uncompetitive in the international market.

Resultantly, our textile items were considered to be very costly by the foreign buyers at Heimtextil Fair.

“Traditionally, buyers visiting our stalls at the exhibition, but refused to place orders in view of the exorbitant export prices,” stated Yousaf. The buyers were also reluctant to place orders as they feared that drastic electricity and gas shortage would hamper production and Pakistani exporters would not be able to honour their export commitments on time, he said.

The PTEA chairman demanded that export oriented units be exempted from electricity and gas load shedding and the government should refund the duties and levies paid by exporters on raw material and inputs, in order to reduce the cost of doing business in the country.

The government should also provide a level playing field to our exporters enabling them to compete successfully with their regional rivals in the international market, he added.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158770