LAHORE: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association chairman S M Tanveer after announcement of new textile policy 2014-19 has demanded availability of electricity at 8 cents per unit for viability of textile industry in Pakistan. According to him, taking the textile exports to $26 billion in next five years would remain a dream in case the energy supply remained situation dismal, particularly in Punjab.
It would be a miracle to sustain the present level of $13 billion under the prevalent energy supply situation, he added.
Chairman APTMA was holding a press conference at the APTMA Punjab office.
He said affordability has become real issue today, as the Punjab-based textile industry, which is 70 per cent of the total in country, is operating at a cost differential of $1 billion compared with other provinces.
How can we compete with regional competitors when Punjab-based textile industry cannot compete with mills in other provinces, he posed a question.
S M Tanveer said how the industry can celebrate announcement of textile policy that speaks about uninterrupted energy supply but the irony of situation can be judged from the fact that the SNGPL suspended gas supply on the same day.