LAHORE: While talking to a delegation of industrialists at the association’s secretariat, Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front Chairman Malik Tahir Javaid has stressed the need for measures by government to get maximum benefit of GSP Plus status granted by the European Union.
He was of the view that the government would have to put one-year moratorium on load shedding of gas and electricity to enable the export oriented industries to compete in the EU markets where other regional players like India, China and Bangladesh had a strong hold.
He said that there is no doubt in it that Pakistani textile merchandise are the best when compared to the textile goods of other regional competitors but the fact remains that the price matters a lot. He said that in wake of a very tough and unusual competition, it has become important for the government to extend a helping hand to the private sector so that it could make a permanent place in the EU markets.
Tahir Javaid said that fast rising freight and shipping charges in the international market also suggest that the government should facilitate the exporters and keep the input prices unchanged for at least a year. He said that it was very unfortunate that despite repeated appeals to the government, the prices of petroleum products were changed seven times in 2013 while there were reports that the government was planning to jack-up the prices yet again.
PIAF Chairman expressed fears about any further raise in the prices of industrial inputs which, according to him, could oust Pakistan from the European markets. Therefore, he suggested, it would be wiser on part of the government if the prices are fixed for some time.
He said that the business community had attached higher hopes with the present government and it is quite optimistic that economy would be brought back on rails sooner than later. He said that the private sector was ready to extend co-operation to the government for an earliest economic turnaround but it was only possible if the government further strengthened the process of consultation.
Earlier, the leader of the visiting delegation Tanvir Ahmad Sufi informed the PIAF Chairman that the repeated power outage was hitting the industrial processes hard. Therefore, Lesco authorities should be asked to stop this practice.
