Pakistan's garments export posted a robust growth of 10 per cent to US$ 826.836 million in July to November 2014-15, but exporters denied the official statistics. Overall readymade garments export shows a US$ 73.395 million growth in July to November 2014-15, comparing to the apparel export of US$ 753.441 million in July to November 2013-14, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
In term of volume, the garments export grew by 1,043,000 dozens (9.09 percent) to 12,540,000 dozens in July to November 2014-15 from 11,497,000 dozens in July to November 2014-15. However the valued added textile exporters rejected the growth projected through official statistics. For instance, according to Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA), there is an ample unsold cotton stock, which shows the value-added textile is not doing well in the absence of proper power and gas supplies to manufacturing units. It also blamed the government saying since Commerce Ministry failed to evolve a plan to help the exporters, they could not capitalise on the GSP Plus status to the EU markets.
According to the industry body, the official figures are not reflecting on the real conditions of the country's export, adding that the growth should have been more than 30 per cent instead of 10 per cent since the country enjoyed the GSP Plus status in one of the world's expensive markets.
"The government has no aim or vision to boost up the export as there has been no new textile policy to help steer the exporting sector to a healthy growth," Khokar added. He said the country's total value-added textile output stands at around 60 percent for want of gas and supplies to manufacturing units, which clearly denies the government's claims projecting a healthy growth of 10 percent.
In November, readymade garments export stood at US$ 169.068 million up by US$ 19.217 million (19.19 per cent) from US$ 149.851 million in November 2013. Volume of garments export also posted an increase of 187, 000 dozens (8.24 per cent) in November 2014 to 2,456,000 dozens from 2,269,000 dozens in November 2013. www.prgmea.org
