Minister pledges steps to improve textile sector

FAISALABAD:  State Minister for Commerce and Textile Haji Muhammad Akram Ansari said on Saturday short and long-term remedial strategies would be evolved to improve the textile sector also asked all stakeholders to submit their proposals within a week.

The minister told Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) that few years ago, the textile sector was facing problems like high mark-up, power and gas load-shedding, etc.

“Most of these issues have been resolved, but new types of problems have surfaced including high cost of doing business and delay in payment of refund claims etc,” he added.

The minister said that being an elected member of the National Assembly, he had been advocating for the textile sector but now the responsibility to redress their genuine grievances had directly been entrusted to him and he sincerely intended to resolve those issues as soon as possible.

Ansari requested business leaders to form a committee of all stakeholders to give their proposals, which would be presented before Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

Regarding refund of sales tax, customs and income tax etc, he said that there was no second opinion that that was the right of exporters and they must get them as soon as possible.

The state minister for commerce and textile said that cabinet meeting is scheduled to be held on Tuesday (August 22) in which he would try to talk to the prime minister regarding Rs180 billion Textile Package and issuance of notification for the release of remaining Rs120 billion for the period from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.

Ansari said he would also request him to provide the relief without any condition of 10 percent increase in existing export of the claimants.

The state minister for commerce and textile also promised to take up the issue of difference in gas prices for Punjab and Sindh with the ministries concerned.