Pakistan to announce Textile policy in few weeks
Pakistan Times Business & Commerce Desk

KARACHI: The Federal Minister for Textiles, Chaudhry Mushtaq Ali Cheema said on Saturday the new textile policy is in the pipeline and will be announced soon.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Expo Centre in connection with the Textile Asia 2005 Exhibition and Conference that kicked-off on Saturday he regretted that government wanted to involve private sector in this policy but industrialist have not given any suggestion.

"The industrialist often create fuss on not being consulted during policy formation and now that government is inviting them they are not giving any input," the minister said adding "whether they take part or not government will announce textile policy in few weeks."

Cheema said that Pakistan is the only country in this region with 70 per cent surplus fibre, yarn and cotton and the government is trying to encourage value addition by using Export Development Fund (EDF).

He said that almost 90 per cent of Pakistan’s textile industries are involved in the expansion programme in a bid to gain access to the international markets.

The minister reiterated that in the post-quota regime, "we cannot meet the international quality standards without enhancing the capabilities of the textile sector".

He informed that the local textile industry had achieved remarkable expansion and modernisation but urged that further improvement was required.

After the elimination of quotas, he said, modernisation for industrial efficiency was inevitable because 70 per cent of the country’s exports depended on textile goods.

He assured the industrialist that the government would provide all necessary facilities to them.

He underlined that the world’s 60 per cent textile goods were cotton-made and 40 per cent man-made but in Pakistan the situation was totally opposite. "Here 60 per cent textile goods are man-made and 40 per cent cotton-based, which is not appropriate."

"If we want to balance this situation, we should increase cotton-made textile goods," the minister added.

Replaying a question regarding Ministry of Textile, Cheema said "Textile industrialist have been demanding government of a separate ministry for the textile sector, so present government has accepted this demand by creating a separate textile ministry," Cheema said.

Minister claimed that the after 45 years investment environment has been changed in Pakistan. Now industrialist must shows patient for positive results.

Regarding a question Chudhary Mushtaq Ahmed Cheema said that the government is rehabilitating Textile Training Program, but in this regards government wants public-private partnership.

He informed about the on going negotiations with European Union as well as China for Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

"We have a stand that EU should list Pakistan in the General System of Preference (GSP) Plus and provide access in their markets," said the Minister adding that, "Pak-Sino FTA will favour both countries."

Replying a question regarding increased electricity charges, he claimed that electricity charges in Pakistan are cheaper compared to other countries of the region like China, India and Bangladesh.

Earlier, Chudhary Mushtaq Ali Cheema, inaugurated the second textile and garment machinery show "Textile Asia", which is being organised by E-commerce gateway Singapore in collaboration of Textile Ministry, Ministry of Investment and Privatisation and Jamal’s Yellow Pages (US publisher).

The exhibition sprawls over four halls of the Expo Centre with foreigners having 476 stalls of textile machines.

The Minister visited all the stalls and termed the exhibition ‘a tool for enhancing textile machinery and related products’.●