Vice Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (North Zone), Mian Naeem Ahmed has stressed collective, comprehensive, viable and immediate steps to arrest declining exports to the US markets. He was briefing a two-member delegation of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.

He said that the share of knitwear sector is $1.8 billion, which is 10% of our national economy. There are 2,000 members of PHMA in their offices situated in Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot. This sector is contributing Rs 400 million towards taxes and Rs 300 million towards EDF in addition to providing jobs to more than 1.5 millions wage earners.

He also explained in detail the problem being confronted by the important value added sector and said that government must clamp complete ban on export of raw cotton and cap yarn export to ensure availability of yarn to domestic industry at reasonable rates. Director General (Textiles) TDAP, Mr.  Basher Saleh said that government was worried about the declining textile exports to US and said that conscious and serious efforts are being made to check this negative trend. In this connection two specialised groups have been constituted to address this issue in consultation with the concerned stakeholders.