All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) is concerned about the delay in making the textile industry, free from load shedding, which results in a 21 percent production loss in a day. Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) was making mockery of the government's assurance given during the budget speech, deplored the APTMA spokesman.
On May 14, this year, Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) had withdrawn the load shedding exemption for the textile industry for a week. In this regard, the APTMA management had held a meeting with the PEPCO officials on May 16, where PEPCO assured APTMA that power shedding would be exempted on May 20 for the textile industry and for the member mills of APTMA.
APTMA spokesman revealed that the textile industry is facing five to eight hours announced and unannounced power cut in a day on independent and grouped feeders. This situation forced the PEPCO-reliant textile units to down the shutters with no respite in sight.
The government's alleged agreement with the international Monetary Fund (IMF) to increase power tariff by 10 percent in two phases is the matter of concern, said the APTMA spokesman.
In the textile industry, electricity expense was over 30 percent of the conversion cost and it has already crossed 40 percent of the conversion cost for organized weaving sector, he added.
Further he informed that the 30 percent of the textile industry is experiencing closure due to the high cost of business including the cost of electricity. The government is still burdening the industry by shifting the defaults from domestic users to the industry and by increasing tariff irrationally though the industry clears all its dues on time.
APTMA demanded full-time power availability for textile sector, competitive rates and freezing of power tariff for textile value chain for two years as well as introduction of special textile industry tariff in the budget 2009-2010.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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