Aptma for protecting domestic commerce.

LAHORE -- All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Chairman Syed Ali Ahsan has urged the government to protect the domestic commerce for the revival and growth of textile industry, as the size of illegal textile goods entering into domestic commerce through smuggling, Afghan Transit Trade and misdeclaration is equal to the size of the textile industry meant to produce goods for domestic commerce.

According to a conservative estimate, the industry exports 70 percent of the total fiber consumed to produce textile and clothing goods. The remaining 30 percent of fiber for domestic commerce consumption is equal to the size of fibers entering into the market through various sources including official import of textile and clothing, worn clothing and informal textile and clothing trade.

Almost 1.1 million ton fiber is consumed to produce goods by domestic industry and 1.2 million ton textile and clothing goods are entering into the domestic commerce through import sources, he said and added that if the government takes measures and adopts mechanism to check entry of such goods into the commerce of Pakistan, both at the entry and sale points, the domestic industry can easily double its production to provide domestically produced textile and clothing for meeting domestic requirement of 220 million population.

He said the competing countries have a tariff regime besides levying duties, both specific and ad-valorem, with an option to enforce whichever is higher, to restrict the...