The Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) on November 5, 2017 called for early implementation of the Prime Minister Export Enhancement Package. The Chairman PIAF Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, Senior Vice Chairman Tanveer Sufi and Vice Chairman Shahzeb Akram, in a statement here, said early implementation of the much-awaited export package approved recently by the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet would help steer the exporting industry out of crisis.
The decisions making authorities demanded the quarters concerned for initiating steps such as provision of uninterrupted energy supply to the industry to make Pakistani exports competitive in the international market, besides evolving an export-led policy and availability of energy at regionally competitive prices for economic turnaround.
While on the other hand the PIAF office-bearers mentioned that Pakistan’s share in global market was shrinking and going to other countries and unit price of its products was decreasing thus resulting in reduced profitability for Pakistani exporters. They urged the government to rescue this vital sector of economy and get the relief package implemented in its true spirit to sustainability of country’s exports. They also stressed that the supply of power and gas should not be interrupted during winter as the export orders in hand had to be honored.
Capacity of the industry was mostly un-utilized while overhead costs had increased which compelled the export sectors to think of alternatives, they maintained. Irfan Iqbal Sheikh stated that textiles in general and the value-added apparel sector in particular were becoming uncompetitive in international market.
