| |
Pakistan : 5,000 Tonnes Bed Linen Quota Feared To Go Waste |
|
2003-6-27 8:28:00
As the distributing agencies are quiet over carryover facility,
over-programming, compensation and other flexibilities to exporters about 5000 tons bed linen textile quota is feared to go waste and unutilized.
Chairman of All Pakistan Cloth Exporters Association Khurram Iftikhar said that the country will lose millions of dollars in foreign exchange, and the $ 11 billion export target will receive a big setback.
He said that currently bed sheets was the only export item from
Pakistan which was enjoying an edge over all other countries in the world and was successfully competing with competitors.
The measure of success of this item could be gauged from the fact that European Union was constrained to impose anti-dumping duty in 1998 for fear of hurting its domestic industry which was lifted only this year, he said.
South Africa has also slapped anti-dumping duty for fear of closure of its home units, he said.
Pakistan should have consolidated this advantage by allowing free hand to exporters to expand exports of bed sheets, but unfortunately the quota regulatory and controlling authorities in the country were not appropriately tackling the issue, he said.
Substantiating his argument Khurram said that indiscriminate release of over-programming quota even when the regular quota was not yet fully exhausted created anomalous situation.
Certain vested elements played smart and quickly shipped their
consignments leaving the regular quota holders high and dry.
Resultantly, when regular quota holders applied for export licences they were told that EU has imposed embargo due to over-shipment, he said.
After a long hassle the regular quota holders were asked to adjust
their shipments against their next year (2003) quota.
The regular quota holders perforce adjusted their shipments against 2003 quota for fear of heavy demurrage.
They were also promised to be duly compensated in the next year (2003).With the onset of current quota year they were told to get their figures verified and tallied.
Finalisation of figures for compensation was delayed by vested
elements.However, at long last the figures have been finalised and tallied by the concerned Associations and have been submitted to QSC and EPB for consideration and compensation, he said.
Khurram said that now when the figures have been finalised it was high time that compensation quota was allocated to exporters.
He said half of the quota year was coming to an end and the exporters were left with meagre time to plan and ship the consignments of bed linen to Europe.
The 5000 tons held up quota with auxiliaries would fetch almost 600 million dollars for the country, he said.
It was highly imperative that the exporters be allowed to export held up quota, he said.
The Apcea chief expressed apprehensions that if the held up quota was not allocated timely by the concerned agencies a void would be created in export market which would be filled by China, India, Sri Lanka and Far Eastern countries.
Thus the hard won export markets would slip out of hands of the
exporters simply for procedural regime, he said.
Khurram appealed to Federal Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar to take cognisance of the matter and intervene immediately to allocate the compensation quota to bed linen exporters in the greater national interest.
|
|
|
|
|
浙公網安33010602010414
