Textile sector says it is being forced to halt production

Friday, January 08, 2010
By our correspondent

LAHORE: Fourteen associations of the value added textile sector have declared that they are being forced to stop production due to inability of the government to press yarn spinners to rationalise their attitude.

Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association (PHMA) stated this in a press statement, adding that instead of considering the needs of the sectors, the priority of spinners is to strengthen Pakistan’s competitors like Bangladesh, India and China.

The media war started by the spinners, the statement adds, is presenting misleading figures which are against ground realities. In an advertisement issued by APTMA on Wednesday, they claim that the shortfall of raw cotton is 4m bales. It urged the government to realise that the strong cartel of spinners will decide not to import raw cotton and would further squeeze the domestic yarn consumers by creating further shortage of yarn and increasing prices.

Dr Khurram Anwar Khawaja, Chairman Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (North Zone), said governments all over the world have been adopting measures to safeguard interests of their industry within the WTO framework, but Pakistan’s government seems helpless before the powerful cartel of spinners.

He said employment of millions of direct workers and the downstream sectors have been put to stake by the attitude of spinners who have created confronting attitude towards their own local consumers.