Govt should declare Multan as new textile city: PCGA

01 Feb '14

2 min read

The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has urged the Government to declare Multan as the new textile city and set up an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) to decrease unemployment.

Addressing a ‘Planning workshop’ organized by the Ministry of Planning and Development, PCGA vice chairman Sheikh Muhammad Aasim Saeed said there was no justification in establishing Apparel Park in Lahore and Garment City in Kala Shah Kaku, reports Business Recorder.

Mr. Saeed said the proposed Apparel Park and Garment City are at a distance of about 300 km from those areas where cotton is grown, which would increase the cost of production.

He added that the target of achieving US$ 100 billion in textile exports by 2019 is not possible unless export of value-added items is promoted, while discouraging raw material export.

Pakistan was unable to raise its cotton production during last decade as per acre yield did not increase beyond 25-30 kg due to substandard seeds. In this context, Mr. Saeed urged the Government to pay proper attention towards the supply of qualitative seeds from various countries by encouraging imports of good quality seeds.

He said about 10 million bales of cotton was produced in South Punjab region during the 2013-14 season, but there are only a few textile mills in this region, with the majority of them being in Karachi and Faisalabad.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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