RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The EU Ambassador Jean Francois Cautain visited All Pakistan Textile Mills Association on Wednesday.

The Central Chairman APTMA Aamir Fayyaz, along with other office bearers, welcomed him at the APTMA Punjab office. He briefed the visiting envoy about the progress made by the textile industry and highlighted the prospects of future increase of textile and clothing exports to the EU.

While introducing APTMA and textile industry’s significance, structure and strengths, he apprised of various initiatives undertaken by APTMA for the sustainability and the way forward in the realization of the potential increase in exports under the GSP pus status to Pakistan. He also apprised of the textile mills represented by the APTMA being fully compliant, corporate sector representation and ready to meet challenges relating to the UN conventions, prerequisites of granting GSP plus to Pakistan.

So far as Pakistan exports to the EU are concerned, textile and clothing contributes 78 percent to the total exports. However, he added, the post GSP plus data has revealed that the textile and clothing exports to EU was increase by 22 percent in 2014. However, this increase dropped to 10 percent and 3 percent respectively in 2015 and 2016. However, he said, the textile industry has not been able to realize export potential, as envisaged, in view of various constraints such as raw material shortage, energy affordability issues, policy and implementation divide and high cost of doing business.