All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) chairman Mohsin Aziz has urged the government to ensure uninterrupted power supply to textile industry during the final of Asia Cup on March 22 unlike March 18 cricket match of Pakistan and India, causing an estimated $15 million loss to textile industry due to 10 hours long electricity shutdown of industry on independent and grouped feeders. He lamented that putting off electricity supply to industry to entertain cricket fans speaks volumes about government’s priority towards industrial development of the country.
Chairman APTMA said the entertainment is though an important segment of a healthy society but having it at the cost of industrial production is not understandable.
According to him, power supply to the textile industry remained suspended countrywide for 10 hours on Sunday due to a pool match between cricket teams of India and Pakistan. The government had desired uninterrupted power supply during cricket match. Accordingly, the power authorities suspended power supply to industrial units countrywide.
Chairman APTMA said the textile industry was already underperforming due to unprecedented energy crisis in the country since November 2007, leading to 40% capacity closure with a contraction of exports by 15-20% apprehended to be at $12 billion instead of $16 billion achieved in the preceding year.
Mohsin criticized the economic managers for their indifferent attitude towards industrial growth of the country. Eventually, all efforts to attain market access from the European Union prove useless in the face of non-serious attitude of government policy makers, he deplored and said that market access can only be availed if export surplus is available with industry out 365 days a year production cycle.
He said the government should make clear whether it was serious in giving priority to the textile industry or not, as all concerns put forward by the State Bank of Pakistan in its periodic reports on sluggish economic output become meaningless when power supply to industry is suspended for unproductive activities.
Chairman APTMA has expressed fears that the textile millers would be left with no option but to close down their businesses if this non-serious trend of continues. The government should give priority to industry on entertainment, as entertainment with empty stomachs is a bane not boon for any society on earth, he concluded.
