ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday asked the National Textile Strategy Committee (NTSC) to submit its final recommendations by December 31, 2006 to work out a national textile strategy to make the industry more competitive and sustainable.

Chairing the first meeting of the NTSC at the Prime Minister House Mr. Aziz said the committee should critically study the Textile Vision 2005, which would form the basis for the new strategy. He said the committee, which is represented by all stakeholders, would create the necessary linkages between industry, academia and the government.

The proposed textile strategy will encompass the production of 20.7 million bales of cotton by 2015, production of standardised and clean cotton, balancing the value-chain by enhancing the weaving capacity, issues related to technological up-gradation throughout the value-chain product diversification, and development of compatible infrastructure.

The proposed broad features of the strategy also include providing a level-playing field to the domestic industry vis-à-vis its competitors (countries), improved transport and communications infrastructure and network, skill development and capacity building of the existing and the future human resource and studying trends in the international market to cater for the high end-product markets, especially women garments.

An official announcement issued after the meeting said that the prime minister asked the committee to adopt a result-and-action-oriented approach and come up with tangible short, medium and long term measures to increase production of cotton, improve productivity and competitiveness of the textile sector.

The strategy should have both the recommendations for improvement and an implementation plan for the best results, the premier said. He also asked the committee to analyse national trade diplomacy and market access policies and suggest appropriate changes.

He said the committee should benefit from the research and development (R&D) unit in the textile ministry and should also obtain input from the academia. He also emphasised the need to institutionalise linkages between the textile industry and the academia.

Mr Aziz said that in view of the paradigm changes taking place in the textile industry globally, there was a need to re-look at “our national textile strategy” in order to make the industry viable, more competitive and sustainable.

The prime minister said that textile was the premier industry and core business of the country.

“Contributing 66 per cent to the country's exports, 40 per cent to employment and 8.5 per cent to the GDP growth, it is the backbone of our economy,” he said.

The government will take all the steps required to help the industry sustain its present position in the global trade and to increase its share to avail the opportunities of quota-free environment, he added.

While the NTSC is headed by Minister of Textile Industry Mushtaq Ali Cheema, the prime minister also set up a sub-committee under the chairmanship of Tariq Saigal to expedite finalisation of the strategy.

The NTSC is represented by relevant government ministries, departments, representatives of the private sector and academia. It will take into account the entire textile value-chain, including growth and production of cotton, garments manufacturing, ginning, spinning, weaving, and processing.