Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Mohsin Aziz has said that the textile exports have surged by 10% in April 2012 against the month of March 2012 simply with one direction of President Asif Ali Zardari for sustainable energy supply to the industry. According to him, the Minister for Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain and Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar ensured sustainable energy supply to the industry on the direction of President Asif Zardari two months back, which helped industry to increase production mainly meant for exports.
The textile exports have registered an increase of $100 million in April 2012 against March 2012 Month on Month basis, surging to $1.14 billion in April against approximately $1 billion in March 2012.
According to him, five days a week gas supply has improved the textile industry exports immediately, which must by food for thought for the economic managers of the country. He said the textile industry can easily meet previous year target if five days a week gas supply continues and sincere efforts are made to increase it to six days a week supply.
However, he said, the exports in quantitative terms are still on decline as of July-April 2012 against corresponding period including fabric by 15 percent, knitwear by 26 percent, bed wear by 20 percent and readymade garments by 27 percent. , Further, he said, there is 10 percent shortfall in value terms during the same period. He said the export shortfall has crossed $1.1 billion in July-April 2012 against the corresponding period.
It may be added that all these subsectors of textile value chain are consumers of yarn, meaning thereby decline in exports is directly impacting the spinning industry, he said, urging that the textile industry should be supplied with gas and electricity supply on priority basis to overcome the shortages in the production of exportable surplus.
The APTMA Chairman has expressed the hope that the government would continue with uninterrupted supply of energy, both electricity and gas to the export-oriented, labour and capital intensive textile industry to achieve $1.2 billion per month ahead. It is though not possible to achieve previous year record exports of $14 billion but still it would be closer to the last year exports if energy supply continues, he added.
