RECORDER REPORT

FAISALABAD/LAHORE: Textile exporters have welcomed the end of goods transporters’ strike as it was giving big blow to the export-oriented industry causing delay of inland supplies and export consignments and also incurring billions of rupees loss to the economy.

Talking to newsmen, here on Monday, chairman Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Sohail Pasha appreciated the efforts of the government to call off goods transporters’ strike in order to save economy from the loss of billions of dollars.

Ongoing strike was inflicting a negative impact on exports and economy. Industry was facing shortage of raw materials for seven days and goods which were to be exported to Europe and other countries were halted as truck owners observing strike against hefty increase in penalties on traffic rules violations on highways and motorways, he said.

Economic activities have come to a grinding halt due to the strike while a number of industrial units were heading towards closure due to non-availability of raw materials.

Appreciating the government to take matter of goods’ transporters strike seriously and solve the issue, he said that non-availability of industrial goods was hampering the economic activities and exporters were unable to fulfill their commitments with their foreign buyers. There were hundreds of containers waiting at ports for clearance and transportation on one hand and on the other; the foreign buyers were cancelling the orders. He appreciated the Prime Minister Imran Khan, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, Federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed and Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Syed Ali Zaidi for considering the genuine demands of goods’ transporters in the greater interest of the country and to revive the economic activities.

PTEA Vice Chairman Haris Yousaf thanked the government for taking the transporters strike seriously at the peak export season for textile exporters. PTEA urged the government to adopt pro-economic measures to avoid such type of strikes in the future.

Earlier in Lahore, the goods’ transporters strike have put millions of dollars’ export orders at stake, as cargo supplies remained suspended for the eighth consecutive day on Monday.

Expressing concern over the continued strike, the Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association (PHMA) vice chairman Shafique Butt observed that the strike has been hitting the exports hard, as their supplies are being interrupted by the transporters’ protesting groups at the entry point of Karachi, urging the government to resolve the issue through result-oriented dialogues to end the strike.

He said that due to the strike, industrialists are facing immense difficulties in transporting goods to their business destinations whereas the national economy is also taking a hit as the strike has now also hit Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and other parts of the country.

He said the major export commodity was falling down fast while supplies of imported raw material were also not reaching the manufacturing units for the last almost one week. Blaming both the government and opposition for the deteriorating state of economy, he said that the government as well as the opposition was indifferent towards the country’s export crisis.

He said that goods’ transporters strike was causing great trouble to the importers, exporters and local industry, halting trade and industrial activities across the country.

Shafique Butt said the country’s major textile exports share came from different parts of Punjab, part of which had now been suspended due to the transporters protest. Resultantly, their LCs will expire and their export orders might be cancelled, he said.

PHMA vice chairman further said that a large number of hosiery exporters were worried because their export cargoes were stopped by the protesting transporters at the entry points of Karachi.

He criticised the government’s delaying strategy that caused a big financial loss to the exporters, saying the exporters were uncertain that whether they would be able to ship their consignments to the world markets as per schedule. He said the country’s exports had already flat and the unresolved issues might further worsen the situation.

There are a large number of exporters whose cargoes are not insured and they may face financial loss of millions of dollars if the consignments are lost or damaged. The vice chairman, who is the leading exporter of value-added textile goods, observed that the global customers were already uncertain and annoyed by delayed shipments from Pakistan.

He said that the government’s goal of giving a boost to exports is in jeopardy as cargo transportation from factories to ports has come to a halt due to a countrywide strike.

Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association vice chairman lamented that the strike was resulting in scarcity of transport vehicles and containers for the export-oriented industry, which was subsequently affecting shipments all over the country. He voiced fear that if the strike was not called off, exports worth millions of dollars could be affected on a daily basis, which would deal a major blow to the government’s goal of enhancing exports to narrow the trade gap. He said supply of cargo meant for export from Karachi and Bin Qasim ports has been suspended owing to the strike. He said supply of imported goods, including industrial machinery, has been suspended as well.

As per estimates, over 300,000 goods transport vehicles run across the country, while over 17000 cargo vehicles run from Karachi to upcountry daily.