APBUMA demands elimination of cartels and mafias to put national economy on sound footing.

FAISALABAD -- All Pakistan Bed-sheets and Upholstery Manufactures Association (APBUMA) had demanded the government to eradicate cartels and mafias for putting the national economy on a sound footing.

Talking to the media here on Sunday, APBUMA Senior Vice Chairman Engineer Bilal Jamil said that due to government policies and especially the dynamic and active role of the SME sector, the national exports were witnessing a monthly increase of 2 billion dollars but the mafia created artificial shortage of yarn in the country to put it in back-gear.

He termed the SME sector as growth engine for national economy and said that big cartels and mafias were stealing all benefits while those working with little capital were deprived of this facility. The government should adopt a mechanism to ensure that every person who contributes to exports gets his fair share of subsidy, he said.

He said the APBUMA was the largest organization in the SME sector with a share of 1.5 billion dollars in the total textile exports of 12 billion dollars which needs special attention by the government.

However, he appreciated the serious efforts of Advisor to the Prime Minister Abdur Razak Dawood and said that he was trying to resolve problems of SME sector on a permanent and sustainable basis.

He said that apart from conducting regular seminars and workshops for the awareness of APBUMA members, he was also striving for industry-academia lectures so that they could be shifted from traditional textiles to technical textiles. "There are vast opportunities for growth in this sector, but our members are reluctant to adopt new technology, even though they can earn...