FAISALABAD: Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) on Monday supported independent operations of textile ministry in order to continue growth of textile exports.
In a statement, the textile exporters opposed the proposed merger of textile ministry into commerce ministry terming it a negative move which would affect the pace of growth in textile exports.
Chairman PTEA Sohail Pasha and vice chairman Rizwan Riaz Sehgal expressed concerns over the proposed merger and said Pakistan has dynamic, vigorous and export oriented textile industry that has an overwhelming impact on national economy.
Textile being largest industrial sector generates the country’s highest export earnings of about 60 percent, providing the bulk of employment to 40 percent workforce and contributes 8.5 percent to GDP.
Ministry of textile industry was established on the demands of textile exporters to formulate strategies and programmes to facilitate the textile sector for attaining sustainable growth, to achieve higher objectives and to anticipate the challenges confronting by the textile sector, they said.
With the establishment of full-fledged textile ministry, the country’s textile exports gradually increased from US $8.29 billion in 2004-05 to USD 13.73 billion in 2013-14.
Vice Chairman Rizwan Riaz Sehgal said that creating greater opportunities for the fourth biggest cotton producer country of the world, an independent ministry for textile industry was ensuring new culture which would expedite the process of improvement in all the segments of textile sector.
