LAHORE: Leading textile bodies on Friday constitued the Punjab Textile Forum to fight against the gas price differential in Punjab and Sindh and arrest falling exports.

Representatives of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma), Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA), Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association (PHMA), Pakistan Readymade Garments Exporters and Manufacturers Association (PRGEMA), All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA) and the Council of Power Looms Association (CPLA) also urged the government to announce a textile relief package to restore competitiveness of the export sector.

Aptma Chairman Aamir Fayyaz, APTPMA Vice Chairman Pervez Lala, PTEA Vice Chairman M. Naeem, PAKSEA Chairman Shahzad Azam and Ijaz Khokhar of PRGMEA addressed the press conference.

A joint communiqué issued after the conference sought a level playing field to let the textile industry grow.

It stressed upon the government to announce a textile industry revival package and mitigate the energy

tariff disparity hitting 70 per cent textile industry in Punjab against the textile units located in other provinces. It also urged the government to overcome structural imbalances at the earliest.

The participants also expressed their concern over the delay in annoucing an incentive package saying the industry will be losing out on potential export orders at the upcoming Heimtextil exhibition next month as well as under the GSP+ scheme.

They said revival of 35pc closed capacity is also being delayed and the industry is not taking new investment decisions because of the prevailing uncertainty.

Published in Dawn December 10th, 2016