Korea is providing funds for Pakistan’s technical textile industry. This will include technical assistance, machines, equipments and manpower training. The funding is likely to be provided at the start of the next fiscal year. The project will help initiate and establish the emerging field of technical textiles in Pakistan.

The proposed center will be a hub for excellence to impart training, develop skills of human resource, and provide relevant information in fields like geotech, meditech and sportech. The establishment of the center will help the development of value-added and quality products chain in the country.

Korea will provide the latest equipment worth Rs 300 million during this year. Pakistan will have to make concerted efforts to get a share in the world market. This requires lots of investment in research and development. The country still has to develop a proper strategy for the promotion of technical textiles related to the automotive, medical, construction/civil engineering and sportswear fields. Serious efforts have yet to be made toward synchronising textile products with the emerging needs of the world market by developing higher value-added products.

Although the textile sector is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, the focus has been on conventional textiles, ignoring technical textiles and knowledge-based products.