TEXTILE WAR AND WE

  

Pakistan’s textile industry over the years trying to regain its old glory but let's hope new Govt- and other factors do them a favor, 'not to interrupt the progress'. There are inevitable challenges our textile industry is facing and they certainly matter to the future.

1.       35 per cent textile units have already shut down for various reasons, including the higher cost of doing

business, becoming noncompetitive in international market etc, the huge  investment on textile park at bordering region of China are posing serious threats to the textile industry which is already strugglinghard to compete with the international challenges and other major forces in the industry. “At least 140 textile mills have so far been shut down during the past four years of last government. The machinery worth Rs 10 million in the spinning sector is being sold out at Rs 50000 in scrap," Mian Zafar Iqbal.

3.      The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) imposed 100pc cash margin on the import of a number of items last year, (which doesn't review yet). This means banks now require importers to furnish foreign currency for the full purchase amount in advance on about 400 imported consumer goods, including vehicles, mobile phones and home appliances.

4.      Another challenge that might threaten Pakistan’s textile to the ground is U.S increasingly tilts towards India. And a major chunk of export has been declined because of that.

5.       “The power due to be produced by Chinese-built power plants is expected to be

expensive” it said, though it anticipates it will still be cheaper than the thermal plants they are set to replace.

 .    APTMA has highlighted that the Pakistan textile industry faces tough competition from the Indian, Bangladeshi and Chinese textile industries and local policies have resulted in Pakistani textiles facing a critical condition.

SOLUTIONS:

                                                                                                                                                                   

·       To become a global player our textile needs to leap up to modern technology and adopt present-day tools to surge its export volume. Moreover, critics argue that the textile industry has obsolete equipment and machinery. The inability to timely modernize the equipment and machinery has led to the decline of Pakistani textile competitiveness.

·       Our Industrial sector should make such policies to start awareness programs for the exporters about all the threats and opportunities which they might face in this compelling free trade. Awareness may be through seminars, media or newspapers.

·        Govt could not give a guaranteed power supply to all the industrial sector as the situation rises and it roars power breakups until 2025. Our Textile Industry should built their own energy generating plants as China is keen to invest in Pakistan’s textile, APTMA must give a proposal to the Chinese Authorities.

·         The post-textiles quota environment presents a potential opportunity for Pakistan's export sector. In order to realize the inherent potential, however, and compete with the likes of China and India-which also stand to gain from quota-free textile trade-Pakistan's manufacturing sector needs to become substantially more efficient.

·        Efficiency of any factory or mill is directly proportional to the education of its workers. The Textile industry should start a collective approach to begin some vocational training programmes in order to train workers to carry out different activities efficiently and quickly.

·        TV and Social media are playing a pivotal role in reshaping the minds of the masses. The educated offspring of the aged textile owners should avail the opportunity and use these tools for promotion. They should come forward and reorganize the shabby old structure of the industry.

Future 

Fashion and textile are always mirror together, but not in case of Pakistan unfortunately. Don’t miss out my next topic “How to look young Men’s Corner”