Daily Times

All Pakistan Bedsheets and Upholstery Manufacturer Association (ABPUMA) appealed to the government to permit cotton import and yarn from India, Uzbekistan and Turkey through land routes in wake of raw material shortage.

Ex-chairman APBUMA, Syed Asim Shah, while briefing media on Tuesday said that value added garments and home textile exporters were facing the shortage of cotton yarn which was basic raw material.

Flanked by Vice Chairman, Ghalib Haider Qureshi and Executive body member, Tariq Sajid, Shah informed that the association’s chairman, Arif Ehsan Malik had written a letter to the advisor to PM on Commerce and investment, Abdul Razak Dawood, on October 08 in this connection. Cotton yarn prices have increased approximately 40 to 70 percent for different yarn counts 20/s and 30/s etc , he said and regretted that even at these exorbitant rates it was unavailable. The situation has compelled the exports not to take new orders which will divert these orders from Pakistan to other regional countries.

Additionally, high sea freight rates and shortage of containers have added to the miseries of the exporters by multiplying deliveries time from 45 to 90 days, Shah disclosed.

He requested the govt to support garments and home textile exporters about the growing crisis of unavailability of containers and vessels on war footings.

In view of the existing scenario, it is important to explore and use the shortest possible routes to import cotton and yarn and possible land routes are from India, Uzbekistan and Turkey, he stated and added that estimated time for ECO freight time to travel from Islamabad to Turkey is ten days. Similarly, it takes about 3 days for transportation by road from Pakistan to Turkey while 2 days for Uzbekistan from our country, he explained.

The textile sector contributes to more than 60pc share in the total national exports and earns the highest foreign exchange, Shah maintained.