巴基斯坦：纺织部希望得到与印度公平竞争的环境

Pak textile sector wants level playing field with India

Pakistan’s Ministry of Textile Industry has urged the Commerce Ministry to ensure a level playing field with India while normalizing trade relations with that country.

The Textile Ministry also suggested signing of a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with India, so as to make exports grow, in its submission to the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, which was followed by a meeting of textile industry stakeholders with Textile Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin.

Trade normalisation with India, textile policy, Textile Up-gradation Fund (TUF) scheme and European Union (EU) package were among the issues discussed at the meeting.

Textile entrepreneurs proposed that Pakistan should try to gain parity with the duty rates prevailing in India. Expressing reservation over trade normalization they said the Commerce Ministry should try to earn a cut in duty imposition on Pakistani goods in India. Else, duty on Indian goods in Pakistan should be raised to ensure that the Pakistani sector gets an equal level playing field with India.

The textile industry paid interest on loans for 365 days, power and gas crisis allowed it to operate for only 180 days, and hence the industry should be allowed concession on non-performing loans, the Textile Ministry officials claimed.

Encouraging production rather than trading, the officials demanded a cut in the rate of export financing scheme and duty drawback, to make them at par with India.

The summary also sought prioritization of the textile industry for gas provision under the gas load management program.

Textile Ministry officials informed the meeting that the summary called for equal provision of gas for textile industry as was being provided to the fertilizer sector.

They also informed the meeting that in March their Ministry had urged the Commerce Ministry to ensure optimum utilization of the EU package.

However, the textile stakeholders voiced concerns over the delay in execution of the EU package, and said that any further delay in implementation of the package is likely to deprive the country of several benefits.

The Textile Ministry informed the meeting that the Government has so far released Pk Rs. 3.5 billion to fund various initiatives and schemes under the Textile Policy 2009-14.

Secretary of the Ministry of Textile Industry Shahid Rasheed, Pakistan Readymade Garment and Manufacturing Association Chairman Saleem Shehzad and All Pakistan Textile Mills Association Chairman Mohsin Aziz were present at the meeting.

译文如下

巴基斯坦：纺织部希望得到与印度公平竞争的环境

巴基斯坦纺织部已敦促商务部，确保能使其与印度公平竞争，同时使两关贸易关系正常化。

纺织部同时建议与印度签署特惠贸易协定（PTA）从而促进出口增长。这是在纺织部长Makhdoom Shahabuddin和该国纺织业利益相关者举行会议之后提交给经济协调委员会（ECC）内阁的。

此次会议讨论了与印度贸易正常化，纺织政策，纺织升级基金计划（TUF）和欧盟的优惠方案等问题。

纺织企业家提议巴基斯坦应该争取获得与印度同等的关税税率。表达贸易正常化的观点，他们说，商务部应该设法削减印度强加给巴基斯坦货物的关税。此外，应该提高在巴基斯坦市场上印度产品的关税税率，从而确保巴基斯坦纺织部得到与印度公平竞争的环境。

纺织部官员声称，纺织业支付贷款利息为365天，而电力和天然气危机使其经营时间只有180天，因此应该允许该行业有不良贷款的特许。

鼓励生产而不是交易，该官员要求削减出口信贷和出口退税的税率，使其与印度相等。

同时，在天然气负荷管理程序下，为纺织业的天然气供应寻求优先权。

纺织业的官员在会议上告知，要求给纺织业提供与化肥行业平等的天然气供应。

他们同样在会议上提到，在3月份，纺织部已经敦促商务部，确保能够最好的利用欧盟的优惠方案。

然而，纺织部的利益相关者却越来越担心欧盟优惠方案实施的延期，他们认为如果进一步延迟实施优惠方案，很有可能剥夺该国的一些利益。

到目前为止，根据纺织政策2009-14条款，政府已经投资了35亿卢比用于各种活动和计划方案。

纺织工业部部长Shahid Rasheed，巴基斯坦成衣制造协会会长Saleem Shehzad和巴基斯坦纺织厂协会会长Mohsin Aziz都出席了此次会议。