Exports orders of garments and textile clothing worth billions of rupees feared to be lost due to indefinite strike by the transporters. Warned Chairman Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) SZ, Shaikh Muhammad Shafiq.
“The strike called by goods transporters incurring losses running in billions of rupees due to stuck up export and import shipments at the Karachi Port and Port Qasim.
The transport carriers strike has completely halted the export and import activities and also damaging the industrial manufacturing capacity of the country resulting in per day loss of around Rs4 billion to the foreign exchange earnings through exports of textile products only.
Shaikh Shfique has earnestly called upon the federal home minister, Governor and Chief Minister Sindh, I.G Sindh and Director General Rangers to provide protection to the transporters from Bhatta Mafia and ensure smooth plying of trucks of export and import cargoes so that economy of the country should not be fully stalled. He said that letters of credit are being expired due to the delay of shipments of cargo to foreign countries and thousands of trucks remained stuck up while many exporters have to bear the additional expenses for shipping their consignments. “All textile chain is facing immense problems and economic activities came to a halt in export sector”, Shafiq said adding that the goods transport carriers strike which has entered into 10th day has ceased business activities as the goods are not reaching the ports due to which the country has suffered loss of exports of over Rs20 billion so far. The goods transport carriers strike has not only hurt shipments of export consignments but also detrimental to import business as importers are forced to pay demurrages for not being able to clear their consignments from the ports and also affecting manufacturing activity as industrial units are not receiving their raw materials and fuel to run their mills resulting in a loss of over Rs3.5 billion per day.
He further said if the strike is not called off without any delay the exporters will have to face huge financial losses for shipping their goods by air to fulfill their commitments or loose their hard earned export contracts.
PRGMEA chief said that our members have made international commitments and failure to perform will lead to disputes, loss of valued customers, loss of market share as well as damaging Pakistan’s reputation as a reliable supplier. He also appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo-moto action to save country’s exports.
