March 20, 2003	Thursday	Muharram 16, 1424

KARACHI, March 19: All Pakistan Powerlooms Association (APPA) has urged the government to reduce tariffs on import of polyester yarn.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the vice president APPA, Mohammad Ashfaq said that high import tariff and large scale smuggling of fabric had led to closure of over 60,000 powerlooms all over the country.

Presently, only 20,000 powerlooms were operational in the country but they were also on the verge of closure owing to high tariffs of up to 52pc, he added.

He said that local polyester staple fibre manufacturers who were enjoying unrealistic protection from the government had monopoly over the prices of fibre, which caused injury to the industry.

On the other hand, he said, cheap smuggled fabric from China and Korea also had adverse impact on the industry and it found it difficult to survive under such circumstances.

Mohammad Ashfaq apprehended that if timely action was not taken by the government labour unrest would be around the corner. At one time powerlooms used to engage around 800,000 workers which had come down to 200,000 as 70 per cent looms have closed down.