APTMA calls for 'textile emergency' in Pakistan

The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has urged the government to declare a nationwide “textile emergency” and immediately reduce electricity and gas prices, warning that the country’s largest export-oriented industry is on the brink of collapse.

The demand was made during a joint press conference of industrial associations held in Faisalabad on Wednesday, chaired by APTMA Chairman Kamran Arshad.

The briefing was attended by former APTMA chairman Naveed Gulzar, JK Group’s Faheem Javed, Muhammad Ali Chaudhry of Resham Textile, Power Loom Owners Association Chairman Waheed Khaliq Ramay, Sizing Association President Shakeel Ansari, and representatives of several other industrial bodies.

Industry leaders called for electricity tariffs to be fixed at 9 cents per unit and gas prices at 22 cents per MMBTU, saying such rates were essential to restore competitiveness and ensure the survival of the textile sector.

Speaking to the media, Kamran Arshad said the textile industry could no longer operate under the current cost structure and had been warning authorities for the past 18 months that manufacturing was becoming unsustainable due to exorbitant energy prices.

He revealed that nearly 150 textile mills had already shut down, while many of the remaining units were on the verge of closure.

The APTMA chairman added that exports had suffered severe setbacks, while policies were effectively encouraging imports by strangling domestic industries.

Questioning the broader economic strategy, Arshad asked how Pakistan intended to bridge a trade deficit of $38 billion and whether the economy could realistically rely solely on overseas remittances for survival.