April 18, 2008	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 11, 1429

LAHORE, April 17: The value-added textile exporters want the federal government to formulate separate policies for various sub-sectors of the textile industry in order to resolve their sector-specific issues and problems.

Speaking to Dawn, former president of Pakistan Readymade Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association Ijaz Khokhar said the different sub-sectors of the country’s large textile industry could not be treated at par because of their different and varying needs and requirements.

Hence, he said, the new government and textile ministry should formulate separate policies for the value-added and other sub-sectors of the industry in order to facilitate improved production and export.

Felicitating Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, who has been given the additional charge of textile ministry, he hoped that the new minister would soon initiate the process of dialogue with the representatives of all the sectors of the textile industry to get their input for the formulation of a new policy.

Mr Khokhar said the value-added textile exporters were facing a severe problem in meeting the export orders due to energy shortages, especially power shortages.

He said at least 20 per cent export orders for this summer had already been cancelled due to power loadshedding.

He called upon the textile minister to ensure that the export industry got uninterrupted electricity supply so that it could run its operations without interruption.

He also called for evolving some kind of mechanism that could ensure stability of utility prices for the export industry for at least next three years.