Abdul Razak Dawood, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Textiles, said the Textile and Apparel Policy 2020-25 was not withdrawn. In a meeting with the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA), the adviser assured the value-added textile sector’s stakeholders of raising their problems with PM Imran Khan and the federal cabinet. He said the Government would consider and resolve all highlighted issues during the meeting. The facility of Duty Drawback of Local Taxes and Levies (DLTL) for the textile sector would continue to increase the export of value-added textiles.
Earlier, PRGMEA regional chairman Sheikh Luqman Amin briefly introduced the value-added apparel sector, stating the PRGMEA was the most extensive and elected body of garments exporters, having thousands of member companies, earning foreign exchange of over $3.5 billion annually for the country. Representing the value-added textile industry, he urged the advisor to abolish all duties and taxes, allowing duty-free import of cotton yarn, the primary raw material of the value-added textile sector.
The meeting participants called upon the Government to place a ban on export of cotton yarn of 30 single or below count to ensure the availability of quality yarn to the export sector so that orders could be completed without hassle and unrest. They said the Government should consider allowing the import of cotton yarn from India via the Wagah border, as the quality yarn was unavailable and prices were soaring. Likewise, the apparel industry representatives further sought freeze in the special tariffs of 7.5 cents for electricity and $6.5 for gas for at least the next three years and provision of uninterrupted electricity and gas for meeting export orders.
The textile sector welcomed the news, which showed significant concerns on the news of policy withdrawal. The exporters think that it is the right step that the Government has taken, and continuation of the textile policy is inevitable for survival.
