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KARACHI: The downstream textile industry has set up a body to facilitate exporters in procuring fabric from different world sources at competitive price. Exporters are facing difficulty in meeting their export commitments owing to shortage and high yarn prices in domestic market.
Disappointed over indifferent attitude of the government to sort out the worst yarn crisis, the downstream industry has found a way out for its survival by exploring world market for cheaper fabric.
We wasted over seven months and knocked the door of the people, who matter in the government, to safeguard country's interest by checking unbridled yarn exports and protect the value-added textile sector to secure jobs of millions of workers but to no avail, lamented Mohsin Ayub Ansari, chairman Pakistan Readymade Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Prgmea).
At a recent meeting of the Prgmea's central committee presided over by its chairman it was resolved that a representative body of members should be set up to explore cheaper source of fabric from the world market.
The Prgmea chief told Dawn that even today fabric is cheaper in the regional countries, particularly in places where our spinners have exported and dumped yarn at cheaper price.
The committee's task would be to explore avenues from where fabric could be imported at competitive price. The working scope of the committee, he said, could expand by clubbing demand of various export houses and placing of orders in bulk abroad.
Mr Mohsin further said that fabric prices in China have increased only 10 to 15 per cent over last year, whereas in Pakistan they have shot up between 50 to 75 per cent owing to high yarn prices.
He said that due to yarn shortage and high prices already a large number of small and medium sized apparel units have closed down across the country but it seems that there is no realisation at any level in the government. The buyers are not ready to pay the matching increase in yarn prices to exporters, he added.
 A Pakistani man prepares threads at a textile factory. -AFP Photo
The committee on exploring world market for procurement of fabric will assist exporters to meet their export commitments and enable them to retain their market as once a buyer or market is lost it is difficult to regain it, he warned.
He alleged that the government ignored demands of the value-added textile industry about looming yarn crisis but it seems that the entire policy remained around protecting the interest of 10 to 15 families at the cost of rest of the textile industry.
The Prgmea chief drew the attention of the policymakers towards the recent Indian decision to impose a total ban on export of raw cotton to safeguard the interest of their local industry. He said India was the only country with surplus cotton this year but still it has imposed a ban on its export in the national interest.
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