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Cotton yarn export quota

Apparel makers ask government not to interfere

KARACHI: The value-added textile sector asked the government to refrain from interfering in the cotton yarn export quota and demanded to be taken on board before taking any fresh decision on it.

"Any unilateral decision will be tantamount to devastation of the downstream textile industries providing livelihood to millions of people in the country," Pakistan Apparel Forum (PAF) Chairman Javed Bilwani stated at a press conference on Saturday.

Flanked by the leaders of 12 trade associations representing value-added textile sector, Bilwani said that PAF is the representative body of 16,000 value-added textile units of the country and employs around 18 million labour force.

Whereas, spinners just represent 350 spinning mills and employ 280,000 workers in the country," Bilwani pointed out.

Though, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), the representative body of spinners, holds influence in power corridors, PAF chief suggested the government not to bow down before the pressure of APTMA.

Quoting the official trade figures, he said that cotton yarn export registered 38.38 percent growth in first eight months of the current fiscal year whereas export of cotton cloth, knitwear and readymade garments fell 18.19 percent, 12 percent and 8.39 percent, respectively in the same period. "It reflects that the value-added sector could not fulfil the export orders because of cotton yarn shortage at a time when there is demand for the value-added textile products," Bilwani noted.

He accused spinners of exporting huge quantity of cotton yarn, which put the downstream industries in trouble and resulted in closure of 12 percent value-added units. He pleaded that the spinners should keep the national interest supreme in view of difficulties faced by the downstream textile industries because the persisting cotton yarn shortage would render hundreds and thousands of people jobless.

Bilwani said that the value-added sector would approach the Sindh governor just like the spinning sector, which was contacted by the Punjab governor, if their issues were not resolved amicably because more than 50 percent of value-added industries are located in Sindh. staff report

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