Transporters' strike hurts Pakistan textile exports

04 Feb '13

2 min read

Troubles do not seem to be ending for textile millers in Pakistan, as while the energy crisis issues still continue to bother them, they are now faced with a strike by transporters.

In fact, cargo handling operations at Port Qasim and Karachi Port have come to a complete standstill due to the strike announced by the Goods Transporters Association against alleged extortions.

Owing to the strike, textile millers in Pakistan have expressed apprehension that the strike may lead to a complete halt of export activities and also impact their production capacity, resulting in a loss of export orders worth billions of rupees.

Talking to reporters, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) chairman Asghar Ali and vice chairman Muhammad Asif said delivery of big export consignments to overseas buyers has got hampered, as the consignments fail to reach ports in time and the ships left without their consignments.

They said prolongation of the strike would inflict huge losses for exporters due to cancellation of big orders.

The PTEA Chairman noted that the industry is already enduring unrelenting energy crisis due to continued power load-shedding and total suspension of gas supply to Punjab industries for over past 60 days.

The industry is hardly being able to operate at half the capacity, which has led to large-scale layoffs across the province, he added.

The transport strike would not only disturb export shipments, but would also prove detrimental for importers as they would have to pay demurrage for delay in lifting their goods from the ports, PTEA vice chairman said.

Besides, it would also hamper production at industrial units for want of raw material and fuel to operate the mills, he added.

Calling on the provincial and the federal governments intervention to resolve the matter, PTEA leaders said that if the strike continues, exporters would have to send their goods by air route, which would cost them heavily.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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