Plan afoot to revive over 1,600 textile industries: minister

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Commerce Minister Gohar Ejaz on Saturday said that the commerce ministry is preparing to unveil a plan for reopening over 1,600 textile industries that shut down in the last 16 months.

“The policy announcement is scheduled for this month to unlock the full production capacity potential within the country,” said Ejaz while talking to Dawn.

He continued by saying that the industry shutdown has affected all stages of the value chain, including ginning, weaving, spinning, processing, and garment manufacturing. Moreover, there have been cases of industries operating at reduced production levels, he noted.

Furthermore, he mentioned that approximately 20 per cent of the total installed capacity in the textile and clothing sector has been impacted over the past 16 months.

Read more: Pakistan’s cotton yarn exports skyrocket

In August, there was a 14.27 per cent month-on-month increase in total exports compared to July, indicating a resurgence in the country’s export industry. Mr Ejaz attributed this growth to the favourable effects of the policies implemented by the caretaker government.