GUJRAT: Manufacturers of pottery and ceramic products have lodged a strong protest against the recent hike in gas tariff which is the basic fuel for the industry.

They said the move would render their products uncompetitive and Chinese products could capture the entire Pakistani market in this sector.

Pakistan Pottery Manufacturers Association president Chaudhary Zuman said the tariff had almost been doubled in the fresh bills received by the manufacturing units in Gujrat that shocked the local industry.

He said the Gujrat-based pottery units were actually domestic cottage industry as some major manufacturing units had already been shut due to worst conditions of doing business. “Now the new gas tariff could result in closure of the cottage industry as well”.

Pottery, ceramics industry shocked by gas tariff hike

He said the PPMA had decided to stage a sit-in outside the Parliament House in case the hike was not withdrawn.

He said some local glass factories had already been closed due to high cost of doing business.

Raja Waqas Ahmed, the PPMA general secretary, said such an increase of gas tariff had never been witnessed before. “The government has purchased the RLNG on hefty prices from international market but the local industry was not capable of bearing such a pressure.”

He said that the manufacturers were compelled to increase the rates of their products due to hike in gas prices but the local industry might not survive before the Chinese products in terms of prices. Gujrat houses at least 150 pottery manufacturing units where around 25,000 workers are employed and hundreds of people are also affiliated with the trade of pottery products across the country.

The manufacturers have called upon Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of the matter and order withdrawal of the hike in gas tariff.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2021