APTMA urges govt to create level-playing field with India

30 Jan '14

2 min read

The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has urged the Government to create a level-playing field before proceeding towards trade normalization with India.

A level-playing field should be the hallmark of any trade arrangement between two competing countries, APTMA Punjab chairman SM Tanveer said in a statement.

Mr. Tanveer suggested that the Government adopt a cautious approach towards trade liberalization with India, and stressed on the need for evaluating strengths and weaknesses in all sub-sectors of the textile industry before taking such a step.

He said Paksitani textiles have so far been unable to make inroads n the Indian market due to various tariff and non-tariff barriers and advised that a competitiveness study of all textile sub-sectors should be carried out, by analyzing all state and central incentives, different schemes, institutional supports and drawbacks in India.

The detailed study should identify and compare the various subsidies and supports available to the Indian textile industry vis-à-vis Pakistan, Mr. Tanveer said.

It should also include the difference in cost of production, as the textile industry in Punjab is already facing severe power load-shedding.

He was of the opinion that the Government should hire international consultants to carry out such a study, prior to liberalization of trade with India.

A day earlier, Textile and Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said the trade related talks with neighbouring India are now focused on ‘Non discriminatory market access on reciprocal basis’, instead of the earlier focus on Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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