RECORDER REPORT

FAISALABAD: Textile package will be revisited to bridge the widening gap between imports and exports and in this connection more funds could be allocated in consultation with the finance ministry, said Haji Mohammad Akram Ansari state minister for commerce and textile.

Addressing the members of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone, here on Saturday, he said that Prime Minister Shahid Khakan Abbasi had a meeting with the representatives of various chambers of commerce and industry including FCCI during last month. “The textile related issues were discussed in this meeting”, he said and added that all the representatives briefed the PM about their collective problems along with their viable solutions. He said that he along with Minister of Commerce and Textile Pervaiz Malik also had a separate meeting with the PM and requested him to facilitate the textile exporters as it is the only readily available option to give a quantum jump to the national exports. Haji Mohammad Akram Ansari further told that a meeting of Federal Textile Board was held on Friday that was also attended by representatives of Faisalabad. He said that entire sectors of textile chain were represented in this meeting excluding power looms sector. He said that he had directed to include power loom sector in this board and hopefully this directive would be implemented ant time soon.

Quoting the meeting of PHMA, he said that most of the issues highlighted in it were related to the finance ministry. However, among these issues, most of these have already been resolved or under process. He further said that refund is the major problem of all sectors and a positive development has been recorded in this respect during last 3 to 4 months. He said that he would attend a meeting in RTO on Monday to settle down the issues relating to the local tax office including delay in the audit of refund claims.

He said that fund of Rs 7 billion is lying with RTO which could not be disbursed due to their procedure constraints. He said that during the scheduled meeting of Monday, a viable solution of this situation would also be carved out. He stressed the need for the technological upgradation in textile sector and said that our industrialists lack innovation. They are installing one after another power looms but are not ready to technological upgradation. He said that our textile sector has to switch over to technical textile to survive in the fast changing environment.

He also assured to set up technical textile centers throughout Pakistan with the funding from export development fund. He requested value-added textile sector to submit viable recommendations for the establishment of these centers. He also expressed concern over the difference in meeting and minutes recording of the federal textile board, however, assured that the minutes recording of recent meeting will be shared with all representatives to remove any discrepancy. Regarding TDAP ordinance 1956, he said that it could be upgraded to fulfil the current needs; however in this connection the stakeholders concerned should give practicable suggestions.

Rana Mohammad Afzal Khan MNA said that a positive improvement has been recorded in the payment of refund claims. He said the government had inherited Rs 200 billion refund claims, out of which 30 percent has been cleared.

Similarly, the government has also credit to declare the five important-export sectors “zero rated”. About the performance of commercial counselors, he said that exporters should not depend on these counsellors but prefer to reach out to their buyers through their websites. He assured that government could also set up a user friendly portal for the facilitation of the exporters.

Dispelling the apprehension about GSP Plus status, he said that though UK in not a member of the European Union but it is one of the major trading partner of Pakistan. He told that a UK minister had categorically assured that his country will maintain the facilities of GSP Plus for Pakistan.

Earlier, in his address of welcome Mian Naeem Ahmed chairman PHMA demanded that zero rating of five export sectors should be enforced though an act of parliament. “It will check the repeated changes made in this decision by FBR through SROs”, he said. Regarding cost of doing-business, he said that Sindh government is already collecting Sindh Infrastructure Development Cess. However, now Punjab government has also clamped Punjab Infrastructure Development Cess at the rate of .09 percent.