TEXTILE MINISTER URGED TO INCLUDE SME SECTOR IN POLICY

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) urged the federal minister for textiles and industries Abbas Khan Afridi to ensure inclusion of the SME sector in the new textile policy and address the issues of the sector fully.

President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said that the SME textile sector is the majority sector and plays an important part in the economy. It is unfortunate that the textile ministry has not consulted the SMEs in the making of the textile policy. A noninclusive policy of the sector will leave many important issues of supply chain unattended and the textile sector cannot afford to ignore the issue of the SME sector in framing the policy. The sector is confronted with energy, law and order, logistics, taxation, financing, marketing support, balancing, modernization and replacement, import of chemicals, packing materials, technological gap, exchange rate and few other issues which the ministry needs to take cognizance and resolve in the new forthcoming policy without fail.

Thaver said the SME sector is in majority in cotton growing, yarn and thread doubling, facbrics, bleaching, dyeing and printing, bed linen, towels, durries and rugs, dusters, mops, bag making and needs inclusion in the textile policy.

He said many SMEs are also importing and exporting textile and made ups. The textile industry is the highest foreign exchange earning sector and the big textile industries have the SMEs as their back forte. The vendors to the big industries are the SMEs and moreover the SMEs play a very important role as the distributors, whole sellers and retailers of the big manufacturers and promote their brands.

The UNISAME chief called upon the textiles minister to make sure the SMEs are included in the policy and the policy finalized after due consultations with the SME sector.