SIALKOT, July 19: Pakistan Readymade Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Prgmea) has welcomed the government’s decision to import selected non-traditional items from India.

Talking to the newsmen at his office on Saturday the former Prgmea’s central chairman Ejaz Khokhar said that the garment exporters could capture the huge Indian market if the latter reduces import duty on Pakistani garments under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

He urged the Pakistan government to ensure that only raw materials and not finished products were imported from India.

The former Prgmea chief said that the government should also allow import of motorcycles and CNG cars from India along with the CNG buses. It would reduce the high prices of CNG cars in Pakistan.

Mr. Khokhar said that the government totally ignored the textile sector in the trade policy for 2008-09. He said that the export target of $22.1 billion could never be achieved without focusing on the development of textile sector.

He said that the government should announce minimum 9 per cent R&D subsidy for the textile sector.

He said that there could be an increase of 10 to 15 per cent in textile exports if there would have been uninterrupted supply of power and gas to this industry.

He urged the federal government to immediately form sector-based export facilitation committees for ensuring early implementation of the new trade policy.

They should review the performance of all the industrial sectors on monthly basis besides, helping resolve the problems of the industries.