FAISALABAD - GSP plus status by the European Union for Pakistani textile exports is expected in February which will help the country increase export volume to Europe up to 20 per cent, said Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Chief Executive Tariq Iqbal Puri.
While addressing the industrialist at Pakistan Textile Exporters Association office here Friday, he said that Indian and Bangladeshi objections had been removed in this regard and the objections of South American countries would also be cleared soon. He said to face the challenges of current world economic recession, increase in national exports was need of the hour and Trade Development Authority was playing a proactive role in this regard.
Tariq Iqbal said that although textile sector was passing through very hard time but Pakistani exporters had crossed export volume of $25 billion last year. Last year knitwear sector was entered rehabilitation process but unfortunately all efforts in this regard went fruitless declining trend in exports was observed, he said.
He stated that holding meetings with trade associations was the ongoing process to get the accurate information about exports and its related problems so that we could help our exporters increase national exports.
Earlier, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association Chairman Rana Arif Tauseef welcomed the TDAP Chief Executive and gave him brief introduction of the association. Pointing out the main hurdles in exports promotion, he said that export volume of textile items was showing downward trend and if it continues, textile exports declining ratio could reach $300 million per month.
PTEA Chairman expressed that gas closure had drastically impacted the industrial productivity and was also causing continuous decline of exports and direly affecting millions of daily wagers of textile industry and $16 billion investment in textile industry was on stake this time.
Due to suspension of gas, industrialists were unable to pay wages to labour and pay their utility bills, he added.
Rana Arif said that the factories remained closed for 210 days last year but the banks were charging mark up on industrial loans for 365 days. He requested for relief in bank mark up. He also demanded the TDAP Chief to shift authority’s head offices from Karachi to Islamabad to develop a better liaison between TDAP and upcountry exporters. Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association (NZ) Vice Chairman Qamar Aftab, KIEA Chairman Mian Azhar Majeed, APBUMA Vice Chairman Imran Mehmood and a large number of textile exporters attended the meeting.
Pakistan going towards IDD-free country:According to the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2011, Pakistan has made tremendous progress in elimination of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) as consumption of iodized salt at domestic level has increased from 17pc in 2001 to 69pc last year, said EDO Health Dr Abdul Rauf.
He was addressing the refresher training session of Sanitary & Food Inspectors at District Health Development Centre (DHDC). He informed the participants that increase in iodine consumption had directly benefited the mother and school-going children. He said 52pc mother were non-deficient in iodine today as compared to 24pc in 2001 and iodine deficiency among children had decreased from 64pc to 37pc during the same decade.
He announced that Sanitary and Food Inspectors of Health Department would monitor salt factories on weekly basis to ensure processing of iodized salt only. He lauded the role of the Micronutrient Initiative (MI) Pakistan in achieving these tremendous results.
This training was organised to refresh the participants’ knowledge on the importance of compulsory edible salt iodization in strengthening the universal salt iodization programme (USIP) to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs), he added.
Dr Muhammad Nawaz of District Focal Person (IDD/USI) informed the participants that the DCO had supported the Health Department in its efforts through a notification that put a complete ban on the production of un-iodized edible salt and all salt processors are required to produce 100pc edible iodized salt. He hoped that the legal cover of ban would enable the department to strictly deal with non-compliant salt processors and enhance the iodization status to 100pc.
MI Field Officer Muhammad Yasin said that IDD-free Pakistan means children with higher IQ, improved mental and physical growth; women with improved fertility, fewer still births and abortions; active & productive males and overall healthy nation contributing to economic growth of Pakistan. Dr. Rashid Ahmad, DHS, Dr Asif Shhezad, DOH and other officers of the Health Department also addressed the participants.