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Business Recorder: Textile exporters reject two weekly holidays
The Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has strongly opposed and rejected two weekly holidays as being detrimental to exports activity in the country.
Talking to newsmen, Wasim Latif, Chairman, and Adil Manzoor Ellahi, Vice Chairman of the Association said that exports need additional push, hard work and extra efforts in the last quarter of the current fiscal year not only to boost the forex earnings but also to fulfil the export commitments with foreign buyers.
They said that upcountry textile industry remains closed already for three consecutive days in a week on account of gas load shedding.
The productivity schedule and export shipments are disrupted.
Now with the two weekly off days, the business activity and supply of ancillary services will be disrupted.
Consequently, the exports would be negatively impacted, they contended.
To overcome energy crisis, the government should take war-footing measures instead of two weekly off days' decision as it would create new threats to the future survival of business and the overall economy, they asserted.
Wasim said that Pakistan's economy was already at its lowest ebb and several sectors are facing sheer crisis, the decision to observe two weekly off days might result in collapse of the industrial sector, and exports would have to suffer the most.
Decision taken last year proved to be a failure and the government could not conserve any energy.
Instead, it severely hurt the exports and the industry, he said.
He said that there was already a widening demand and supply gap due to gas and electricity shortage and additional holidays would further slow down the work process.
This decision would only multiply problems and hamper business and industrial activities and the government would not be able to achieve any desired results except further hurting the economy, he contended.
He urged the government not to implement the proposal and take appropriate measures in consultation with the business community to address the energy crisis.
Manzoor said that industries would suffer serious production losses due to this non-serious attitude and action of the government.
"We need to evolve a comprehensive plan to improve both energy availability and energy use, based on country's immense potential.
To curtail the government expenditure, austerity measures should be taken to minimise and control the management and administrative costs.
However, two off days would not be a good practice in vogue.
This decision would badly affect the working of industries especially export-oriented industries, which work round the clock to meet the export targets throughout the year".
PTEA office-bearers said that trade and industry were passing through a rough patch while the coming months also do not look encouraging for business activities as growing energy shortage and rising cost of doing business will dampen the productivity of manufacturers and industrialists.
They stressed that to achieve better growth, the government should rationalise utility tariffs, ensure uninterrupted power and gas supply to industry, bring down interest rate to single digit, provide easy credit to businesses, lure investment and improve law and order situation in the country so that economy could witness a turnaround.
They urged the government to withdraw the decision of two weekly holidays as it would make the survival of the industry unviable.
The Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has strongly opposed and rejected two weekly holidays as being detrimental to exports activity in the country.
Talking to newsmen, Wasim Latif, Chairman, and Adil Manzoor Ellahi, Vice Chairman of the Association said that exports need additional push, hard work and extra efforts in the last quarter of the current fiscal year not only to boost the forex earnings but also to fulfil the export commitments with foreign buyers.
They said that upcountry textile industry remains closed already for three consecutive days in a week on account of gas load shedding.
The productivity schedule and export shipments are disrupted.
Now with the two weekly off days, the business activity and supply of ancillary services will be disrupted.
Consequently, the exports would be negatively impacted, they contended.
To overcome energy crisis, the government should take war-footing measures instead of two weekly off days' decision as it would create new threats to the future survival of business and the overall economy, they asserted.
Wasim said that Pakistan's economy was already at its lowest ebb and several sectors are facing sheer crisis, the decision to observe two weekly off days might result in collapse of the industrial sector, and exports would have to suffer the most.
Decision taken last year proved to be a failure and the government could not conserve any energy.
Instead, it severely hurt the exports and the industry, he said.
He said that there was already a widening demand and supply gap due to gas and electricity shortage and additional holidays would further slow down the work process.
This decision would only multiply problems and hamper business and industrial activities and the government would not be able to achieve any desired results except further hurting the economy, he contended.
He urged the government not to implement the proposal and take appropriate measures in consultation with the business community to address the energy crisis.
Manzoor said that industries would suffer serious production losses due to this non-serious attitude and action of the government.
"We need to evolve a comprehensive plan to improve both energy availability and energy use, based on country's immense potential.
To curtail the government expenditure, austerity measures should be taken to minimise and control the management and administrative costs.
However, two off days would not be a good practice in vogue.
This decision would badly affect the working of industries especially export-oriented industries, which work round the clock to meet the export targets throughout the year".
PTEA office-bearers said that trade and industry were passing through a rough patch while the coming months also do not look encouraging for business activities as growing energy shortage and rising cost of doing business will dampen the productivity of manufacturers and industrialists.
They stressed that to achieve better growth, the government should rationalise utility tariffs, ensure uninterrupted power and gas supply to industry, bring down interest rate to single digit, provide easy credit to businesses, lure investment and improve law and order situation in the country so that economy could witness a turnaround.
They urged the government to withdraw the decision of two weekly holidays as it would make the survival of the industry unviable.
