PHMA castigates Aptmas threat to close units twice a week-Texglobe

FAISALABAD (May 17 2010): Chairman Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) Mian Naeem Ahmed has castigated the threat of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) to close down their units on every Tuesday and Wednesday and said that it is worst kind of economic black mailing.

He demanded that the electricity and gas consumed by spinning units on Tuesday and Wednesday might be supplied to value-added textile sector in order to help it to fulfil its foreign orders and thus play its role in enhancing textile exports.

Addressing a meeting of hosiery manufacturers in the office of PHMA, he said that value-added textile forum has been demanding complete ban on the export of cotton and yarn to ensure the availability of raw material in the local industry.

The ban on the export of cotton will ensure availability of cotton to the spinning mills. Similarly, ban on yarn was imperative to provide raw material to the value-added textile sector at reasonable rates and in substantial quantity, he remarked. He expressed dissatisfaction over the 15 percent Regulatory Duty (RD) on the export of yarn and said that it was nominal and would not have any positive impact on the availability of yarn in domestic market.

He reiterated the demand of value-added textile sector to clamp complete ban on the export of cotton and yarn and said that 15 percent RD would not give the required result and rather further complicate the situation with the threat of Aptma to close down their units on every Tuesday and Wednesday. He feared that this closure would maintain the present shortage of yarn even after the levy of 15 percent RD on the export of cotton yarn.

He also criticised the aggressive attitude of Aptma and said that it is tantamount to challenging the writ of the government. He said that Aptma did not want to resolve the crisis being confronted by value-added textile sector and said that Aptma actually wanted to dilute the impact of 15 percent RD and was trying to maintain the shortage of yarn in domestic market.

He hoped that the government would again consider the demand of value-added textile sector to slap complete ban on the export of cotton and yarn. "It is imperative to save the value-added textile sector from total collapse," he said.