Improving textile

Pakistan has a robust textile industry, ample trained labour and huge potential for cotton raw stock production, but still the once powerful textile sector of Pakistan is floating rudderless today. I would like to request the textile sector of Pakistan to become innovative in their long-term development. If the Sialkot industries can build an airport to improve their sector why can't textile also improve their supply chain. The textile industry should offer a fixed support price for cotton and also distribute high quality seeds and irrigation equipment to farmers helping improve cotton production and stabilize raw material prices.

In the second phase, the textile industry should try to work with introducing the cotton crop with support price in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, helping triple their raw material and also helping reduce prices. The industry can increase their production in cloth manufacturing and also help increase other textile products production over the years. Reusable tissue cloths, cloth bags, cotton filterpaper, coffin cloth, mixed material cloth and thicker strands cloth should be targeted as new products with potential for high local sales and exports. The industry should not look to the government for help as these initiatives can be taken by the PTMA or local industrial chambers. The textile industry is mature enough to try to improve cotton production and enhance textile production in Pakistan.

Engr Shahryar Khan Baseer

Peshawar