Pakistan garment makers call for parity with tanners
Pakistan’s exports of leather garments fell 17.25% to $311 million during the ended June 2002, the Central Chairman of Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturing and Exporters Association, Fawad Ijaz Khan, has reported. In June 2002 alone, exports were down by a massive 47% compared with June 2001 to $21.7 million
Exports of finished leather meanwhile showed an increase of 2.41% year-on-year to US$ 239 million.
Fawad said the figures underlined how urgent the need was for the government to respond to the association’s proposal for a 20% duty on exports of finished and semi-finished leather. It was hoped this would be announced as part of the government’s revised trade policy, to be announced next week. Good to medium quality leather was in especially short supply due to excessive exports, Fawad said.
The chairman went on to contrast the situation of the leather garment makers with that of the tanners, who already benefit from the protection of a 20% duty on the export of their raw materials, including both raw hides and wet blue.
