‘Around 400 foreign delegates visit textile expo’

KARACHI: The new and energy efficient machines at the 10th International Garments, Textile and Leather Machinery and Accessories (IGATEX) were the highlight of the second day of event on Thursday.

More than 550 companies from 35 countries have either displayed their textile machines or have presented them through videos and slides. “Around 400 foreign delegates are participating in the exhibition,” Saleem Khan Tanoli, CEO, FAKT Exhibitions said.

The largest participation of machinery has come from European countries, with Italy leading with 73 companies, Germany 70 companies, and Turkey with 30 companies, while 40 textile companies from China are also exhibiting their machines.  Companies from Austria, Switzerland, US and UK also participated in the exhibition. One Pakistani agent of an Indian manufacturer for a spinning machine has also displayed pictures and videos of the product.

Tanoli said since Pakistan did not manufacture textile machines. “We do not manufacture with exception to a few small machines in the industry. We are usually consumers of these products,” he said. Japan was displaying its latest and heavy textile machines this year.

Prices of these machines start from hundreds of thousands to millions of rupees. However, “complete textile units are being offered in billions of rupees,” Tanoli said. This exhibition retuned to Karachi after several years, as law and order situation improved. The last exhibition in Karachi was held in 2010. “Industrialists are showing interest and B2B meetings are continuing. However, there is more participation from the industrialists from Punjab,” he said.

He said if government provided refunds to industrialists, and incentives under the Rs180 billion textile package exports would grow and industry would use latest machines. The IGATEX Pakistan 2017, organised by FAKT Exhibitions (Pvt) Ltd, will conclude on Friday (today).