Federal Minister for Textile and Industry Abbas Khan Afridi has said that work is underway on a new policy of value addition to increase exports.
Addressing a press conference at the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) office on Friday, he said without adding value to their products it was impossible to achieve the target of increasing their exports up to $ 26 billion.
He was of the view that CNG should only be available to taxis and buses while the rest should be given to the textile industry. The minister said the prime minister had formed a committee which would review electricity and gas related issues of the textile industry and its meeting would be held soon.
Abbas Khan Afridi said that Pakistan’s cotton industry contributed a lot to the national economy and the unemployment problem could be tackled by strengthening it. All decisions would be made after due consultation with stakeholders of the textile industry, he added. There was a need to build an image of Pakistan’s textile sector that people know its products because of their best quality, he added.
He said a plan was being made to celebrate the coming year as textile year so that maximum improvement of the textile industry could be ensured. Federal Secretary for Ministry of Textile and Industry Rukhsana Shah was also present.
