The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association will launch a protest campaign from next months to highlight the challenges faced by the industry. The exports have been falling for the last three years, production capacity of the textiles mills has been affected by frequent power outages and the textile package announced by the prime minister has yet to hold ground. The millers allege the industry is in trouble due to high energy cost and inordinate delay in the release of sales tax refunds. Despite the government has ensured incessant power supply to the industrial sector, it had been carrying out 10 hours power outages a day as a routine. The textile and export packages announced by the prime minister are of no utility in the practical terms as the situation is going from bad to worse with every passing day. As a matter of fact, improvement of the economy is not only a national obligation, but also a mission and the government should have to take steps to change the lot of the people. The growth of industry will automatically improve job creation opportunities, but in the current situation, the industrial units are being closed, severely affecting not only the exports, but also the job market.
One can only hope that the prime minister and the finance minister will themselves spare some time to listen to the problems of the industrial sector, including textile mills to speed up industrial production in the country. According to Aptma officials, the incessant power supply to the textile sector is one issue and the rising rate of electricity tariff is another. The industry is facing 10 hours load-shedding a day at a time when the government claims it is adding thousands of megawatts to the national grid. The time has come the government should stop lip-service and take practical steps to increase electricity generation and improve its supply. The government should also lower the power tariff for the textile industry which has zero line losses. The per unit cost of electricity was around Rs7 in 2013 when oil prices were around $100 per barrel in the international market, but the prices have now come down to $50, but the power cost has been increased to Rs 11.5 per unit.Textile industry is the backbone of the economy and sooner the government resolves its issues, the better.
