APTMA members to meet minister of state for water, power for power relief

LAHORE: The sustainability as well as viability of electricity-dependent textile sector is at stake due to 10-hour daylong electricity load shedding since May 2014.
In this regard All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) leadership will meet Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali on July 14 to seek relief for 58 Punjab-based textile mills, solely dependent on the National Transmission and Despatch Company network for energy supply, said APTMA Punjab spokesman.
Accordingly, he said the cost of doing business disparity in energy supply has incurred Rs 80 billion per annum loss to the Punjab-based textile mills and the power-dependent mills were direct victim of the situation.
He said more than 40 percent production capacity has witnessed negative impact in Punjab and many mills have closed down operations while others have restricted to one shift operations, rendering to millions of workers jobless.
The energy crisis has turned Punjab into a less preferred province for new investment and industrialisation and relocation of industrial units is imminent if the policymakers took no precautionary measures.
The cotton farmers and cottage industry is the next victim of an adverse situation, he added.
The s has expressed the hope an uninterrupted operation of Punjab-based textile industry would greatly help to realise potential of increasing exports to the European Union under Generalised System of Preferences plus status market access facility.