Textile industry’s crisis

THE crisis of the textile industry seems to have deepened. This is largely due to the continuing global recession and the war clouds hovering over the region. The impact has now been transmitted to the lower level of the industry like ginners who have piled up unsold stocks of 2.4 million bales. Spinners are not coming forward to buy cotton because the consumption of yarn has declined as domestic demand is weak and exports too are falling. Because of the rising inventories at all levels, the industry has started feeling a “growing liquidity crunch. A stage may soon arrive when payments to the farmers would be held back as had happened a couple of years ago during a similar slump. Export of cotton itself faces problems. Globally, two big importers of this commodity are China and India. Both have higher production of their own this year (India has harvested two million bales more than last year) and low domestic demand for textile products, with the result that the prices are about 40 per cent less than last year and even then buyers are reluctant to make fresh purchases. Textiles exports are virtually stagnant. During the last six months, the textile groups’ products fetched 2.85 billion dollars as against 2.83 billion dollars during the corresponding period last year, showing an increase of less than one per cent.

Because of the prolonged crisis, the modernization, balancing and replacement programme of the industry has suffered a setback. Import of machinery dropped from 40 million dollars in November to 28 million dollars in December and according to APTMA sources, no fresh import orders are being placed although with the appreciation of the value of the rupee, it was the right time for revamping and modernization of the industry in order to take advantage of the promised increased access to the US and EC markets. Apart from the on-going crisis, the slow placement of orders for the import of machinery is said to have been due to government’s delay in taking a decision about the sources of import to be encouraged — the US, China, India or worldwide. The Federal Textile Board is now expected to finalize a decision on the matter by the end of this month.

Expectations were that the crisis would somewhat ease with the promise of increased access to the EU and US markets. While the European Union has been prompt in offering zero tariff for all imports and enhanced quota for Pakistani textiles, the US has been postponing the decision on both counts. For the easing of the crisis, it is imperative that the US not only take an early decision on concessions but also eliminate other obstacles such as inspection of each consignment and adverse media projection of Pakistan in the context of the current war against terrorism. For their part, Pakistani exporters should concentrate more on non-traditional markets like China, East Asia and Latin America.

Conserving the houbara

CONSERVATION of flora and fauna is not an easy job in Pakistan, especially when activists have to face extremely resourceful, tenacious and well-equipped hunters and poachers. Because of its geographic location, the country lies on the route for many kinds of migratory birds. Perhaps the best known of these, and in large part as a result of conservation concerns raised by well-meaning groups and by the media, is the houbara bustard. According to estimates, around 30,000 of these birds come to Pakistan every year, and the government, on the recommendation of the Foreign Office, issues hunting permits for around 4,800 of them. However, the absence of any kind of regulatory mechanism to oversee the hunting process means that many more birds than the sanctioned number are killed. This kind of ‘controlled’ hunting is the usual practice these days, even in the case of endangered animals. It has been practised and implemented quite successfully in the NWFP in the case of markhor deer with the proceeds from the hunting licences — worth several thousand dollars each — going to the local communities. As for the houbara, regrettably the number of birds allowed for hunting every year has risen. We would also like to take issue with the practice of issuing such permits since they are given on the recommendations of the Foreign Office.

Clearly, this needs to be stopped and the environment or wildlife ministry at the federal (or if necessary the provincial) level should be entrusted with the task. The reason for this is obvious because the Foreign Office — considering that many of the hunters come from overseas — might have criteria for permitting the licences that might differ vastly from that of the environment ministry. Some foreign-based conservation groups have also been involved in the effort to save the houbara. This is a welcome sign because without their expertise and resources it would not have been possible to raise the profile of this kind of conservation effort. Having said that, there should be a panel of independent experts to watch over the success and effectiveness of various conservation efforts in the country. This should by no means be seen as a measure to check the development of these much-needed organizations but rather as a way of appraising the effort and, if necessary, to give it a renewed sense of direction and guidance. The government should take interest not only in the case of this endangered bird but also for conserving wildlife in general since it is crucial for maintaining a balance in our ecosystem.

Father instead of son

US troops stationed in Afghanistan seem to be rapidly emulating some of the region’s most hallowed traditions. Take the example of the US soldiers hunting for a former Taliban intelligence official in the eastern province of Paktia. These men of war acted in a manner that would make every thanedar in the subcontinent proud. When they descended by a helicopter on the home of the wanted Taliban official, they found no trace of him. In typically desi fashion, the soldiers decided instead to take into custody the offender’s 65-year-old father. By doing so, the men were following in the illustrious footsteps of the Pakistani police notorious for their wayward and arbitrary ways. Accustomed to arriving on the scene long after their prey has fled, policemen in this part of the world have always shown a lack of discrimination between offenders and their kin. At any given time, our lock-ups seem to be crowded more with the brothers, fathers, cousins, nephews and uncles of offenders than with the culprits themselves.

Theoretically, this officially sanctioned taking of hostages is meant to provoke a sense of remorse on the part of the hardened criminal, who is meant to feel guilty and surrender himself to the law. However, many hardened criminals do not have such a highly developed sense of fealty. Instead, without a qualm of conscience they let their kin rot in prison indefinitely, until the unfortunate hostage decides to pay his way out of the ordeal. This, in fact, is the reason why this hallowed tribal tradition continues to thrive in the subcontinent. The US troops in Afghanistan must be congratulated for becoming culturally sensitized with such amazing speed. One would like to know, however, what their own press and public think of them when, on return home, they pass on these remarkable crime-fighting techniques to their colleagues in the New York Police Department.