January 18, 2006	Wednesday	Zilhaj 17, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 17: Failure of Pakistan’s data collection agencies—the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) and the much touted private sector arm of the Central Board of Revenue (CBR), the Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL), to gather and disseminate correct trade figures in time, has left exporters and the market analysts guessing for drawing up an effective strategy for the year 2006.

The PRAL is being blamed for the delay and throwing into total disarray the exercise of import-export figures collection so much so that now there is doubt on the much trumpeted 14 per cent rise in exports during the year 2004-05. Not once but on many occasions, the government has ridiculed the FBS, which put into doubt the claims of over 8 per cent growth in the national economy in 2005, rise in per capita income and reduction in unemployment rates and in poverty.

Pakistani exporters now wait for the release of December 2005 trade figures when about three weeks of the following month of January are about to pass. Businessmen also wait for the market specific and individual textile item specific export figures for the year 2005. But to the dismay of the businessmen and professional analysts, the official agencies have not been able to collect correct import-export figures for the month of December 2005, and also for the six-month period-July to December 2005. There is also no market specific export information for the year 2005.

Whatever information is available on import-export is aggregate. Except for about a dozen big business houses that have the resources and skilled manpower to collect and analyse market information on global basis, the general business community of the country and even the government agencies lack update information.

The year 2005, was the first year after expiry of the textile export quota system. Almost 40 per cent of Pakistan’s textiles were directed to USA and EU when quotas were being enforced and practiced till December 2004. Trade analysts and businessmen are now keen to know the impact of free for all marketing of textile products in the 25 countries club, EU, and the USA and where Pakistan stands in comparison to China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and other countries.

The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) depends entirely on FBS and PRAL for the trade figures. There is no one in the bureau to go on websites for collection and sifting specific information- item-wise and market-wise. The newly-created Textile Ministry is also unable to give market-wise information and impact of quota relaxation on Pakistan’s textile trade and draw up a comparison with the countries that are in competition. “We are supposed to look after the domestic issues of textile industry,” a well-placed officer in the Textile ministry informed Dawn by telephone on Tuesday from Islamabad.

But the federal commerce ministry, too, was found unable to give any information as it also depends on the FBS and PRAL. None of the government agency has tried to get information, directly from the USA and Brussels for the EU market, on textile trade. The high-budget Pakistani missions, in New Delhi and Beijing, are not keeping their government update on Indian and Chinese trade.

Contact with these various agencies on telephone brought forth an interesting fact that there is total confusion among the officials on December 2005 trade figures. Export of single month, December 2005, and that of six months-July to December 2005-are being considered too high when compared to exports in December 2004, and during July to December 2004.

The customs duty collected by the CBR in last six months is, nowhere, compatible to the phenomenal growth in import. Officials are now trying to reconcile all these figures which may be out by next one week or so.

Pakistan’s overall global textile exports during the outgoing year 2005, the first year after expiry of textile trade under quotas to the USA and EU, have shown an appreciable rise of about 17.4 per cent, but analysts are unaware of market specific information and hence are unable to draw up a strategy for the current year 2006.

Pakistan’s textile exports from cotton to readymade garments fetched 8.76 billion dollars during 11 months period of January to November 2005, denoting a rise of 17.4 per cent. Trade figures for the month of December 2005, are still awaited, even though more than half of January has passed and there does not seem to be any possibility of getting these figures in next one week.

A casual glance, at 11-month export figures of Pakistan’s textiles, reveals that much of the contribution, in 17.4 per cent increase in exports, have come from cotton which showed more than 100 per cent rise. Yarn is a semi-processed commodity that showed rise of 21.77 per cent in exports.

Significant increase in exports during 2005 has been seen in cotton fabrics-31.34 per cent to more than two billion dollars, bedwear 17 per cent, towels 20 per cent, woven garments more than 48 per cent to 1.21‘ billion dollars. Knit garments export is, however, is down by more than 5 per cent causing to closure of more than 100 manufacturing units which has rendered hundreds unemployed.