Indian Textile Sector Urges Government to Continue Duty-free Regime

The government has been called upon to prolong the duty-free treatment for country's textile sector.

Textile sector which urged the government to continue the zero-duty regime stated that, any effort to impose ceiling on cotton and yarn export would prove detrimental to the interest of domestic industry.

As stated by the textile sector, despite prolongation of the duty-free treatment, just four percent of cotton has been exported by now, while the crop growers earned additional Rs. 350 million, over last year. Likewise, in spite of continuation of the free-market regime, just 20 percent yarn has been shipped from country, by now.

Thus, it is evident that, the duty free regime has in way contributed to cotton and yarn scarcity in the country, and hence there is no need for the government to impose ceiling on export of these commodities, the textile sector claimed.

It even urged the government to form 'Pakistan Cotton Research Development and Marketing Board' to evolve new cotton seed varieties with high productivity to avoid crop scarcity in future. The industry claimed that, over the past 12 years no progress has been made on this front, due to which the cultivators need to depend on old varieties.

The country presently produces 604 kg of cotton per hectare, which is much below China's production of 1,250 kg per hectare. Thus, there is an urgent need to initiate measures and introduce new seed varieties to boost per hectare cotton production, to meet future shortfall.