Due to procrastination of the commerce ministry, Quota Supervisory Council (QSC) and Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) to allow carry over, over-programming and compensation for embargoed shipments Bed linen exports worth $ 600 millions to European Union are held up said Khurram Iftikhar, Chairman All Pakistan Cloth Exporters Association (Apcea).

The exporters of bedlinen are greatly concerned over long delay in issuance of compensation quota, promised to them last December, when their shipments were denied export licenses, as the European Union had imposed embargo due to over shipment, he said. Issuance of this quota and other flexibilities admissible to exporters has been debated for more than six months now and the time left at disposal of exporters is very short for planning of consignments and to fulfil the shipping formalities, he stated.

The suffering exporters, after being kept in suspense for a fortnight, were allowed export licenses in January 2003 charged against their quotas of 2003, he added. Khurram Iftikhar urged the minister for commerce to take immediate cognisance of the matter and order release of compensatory quota, carry over and other flexibilities to bedlinen exporters.