03 December 2004	Friday	20 Shawwal 1425

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KARACHI, Dec 2: The Export Promotion Bureau is negotiating with the PIA, and is also exploring entering into consultations with other airlines in Dubai to airlift 3,000 tons to 5,000 tons of textile products from Pakistan to the US next January.

"The Bureau will airlift every single kilogram of balance of quota of our textile exporters to the US from January 1 to January 20 provided the exporter informs by December 15 of the confirmed order, letter of credit, shipment schedule and the proof of balance quota in the respective category passbook," a senior official of the bureau said.

About 150 to 200 exporters are said to be hard pressed from a decision of putting an embargo on shipment of textile products of seven categories of the textile products since November 13. The quantum of balance quota is tentative as affected exporters put the figure at 5,000 tons while a conservative estimate put this at 3,000 tons plus.

The Bureau is also finalizing the term and conditions for those exporters who want to swap their balance quotas in embargoed categories with the other categories. The Bureau issued a public notice on Wednesday to inform all such affected exporters to facilitate air lifting of their balance textile export quota.

"The EPB is at present involved in negotiation with the PIA and will involve other airlines if need be, to ensure airlifting of balance textile quota of embargoed categories from Karachi to New York," the officer said.

For goods which have already reached the US port and will be denied entry due to embargo, the public notice makes it clear, the facility of freight subsidy, by sea or land would be provided for routing the blocked consignment to the next port of destination, if exporters so desire. But this facility will be provided only after embargo is announced and proof of denial of entry by the US authorities is submitted to the bureau.

According to the official assessment the total value of textile products of the seven embargoed categories is hardly two per cent of the total volume of $1.4 to 1.5 billion annual quota trade of the US.

"It is not the amount loss which matters but the breach of contract with the buyer," he said and the efforts are on to ensure quick and swift supply of textile products to the US for spring," he said.