The Central Chairman of the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) Mohsin Ayub Mirza has asked the government to cap the electricity rate for the textile industry for a minimum of two years. He said this should be done so that this foreign exchange-earning sector could sustain itself during current difficult economic period and a better pricing could be worked out to compete in International markets.

He said that the textile policy has been appreciated throughout by the industry and has been thought of as being the best the government could do in the current circumstances. He appreciated the efforts made by the Minister and the other officials including Idress Ahmed, Textile Commissioner, to promote training centers in textile units. Mohsin expressed the view that due to power shortages, we are unable to deliver foreign orders on time and that India, China and Bangladesh are fast filling the gap with cheap rates and timely delivery of apparel goods.

He said that the government has set the export target of US$ 25 billion for the textile sector, based on this target; a proper marketing strategy has to be defined and implemented. For this Trade Houses need to be set up worldwide, like Korea, Indonesia etc. Local professionals should be hired for this purpose to create a reliable image of Pakistan and to promote its product.