Pakistan's Punjab taking steps to boost garment sector: CM

28 Jun '14

2 min read

The government of Punjab province in Pakistan is taking various steps to boost the garment and textile sector, Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Shaif said, while addressing a meeting held to review the steps taken for development of the apparel and textile sector after Pakistan was granted the Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP Plus) status by the European Union.

Mr. Sharif said the Punjab government has set up six working groups for developing the textile and clothing sector and boost their exports.

The Quaid-e-Azam Apparel Park project, which is coming up near Motorway, is of vital importance in the context of the GSP Plus status granted to Pakistan by the EU, the Chief Minister said. Work to set up the Apparel Park is progressing speedily, and special incentives would be given to entrepreneurs setting up their industries, he added.

The Punjab govt is taking comprehensive measures for further development of the garment and textile sector after Pakistan was granted GSP Plus status, Mr. Sharif said. He added that more facilities are being offered to this sector in order to take maximum advantage of the GSP Plus status and to generate new employment opportunities and earn more foreign exchange by improving exports.

He gave instructions for setting up a business council to take more steps aimed at the development of the garment and textile sector. The council would be tasked with preparing and submitting recommendations to the government, after consulting with the manufacturers and exporters.

The GSP Plus, implemented from the beginning of 2014, has spurred the growth of Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports to the European Union in the first two months of 2014, Pakistan’s Minister of Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan said recently.

In January-February 2014, the exports of textiles and apparel from Pakistan to the EU jumped by 30.68 percent to US$ 446.91 million, as against exports of $342 million made during the corresponding period of last year, according to the data from the Ministry of Commerce.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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