Zonal Chairman South Of PRGMEA, expresses his expert views in a special interview to Business Monitor
BY: Mawaiz Khan Akash
BM. Would you like to throw light on the objectives of PRGMEA?
Ans: Well, PRGMEA's aim is to advise, protect, safeguard and promote the rights, interests of members and to assure their goodwill. It indiscriminately provides supporting services to members. It monitors export performance and provide related information and market knowledge to members. Additionally it encourages exports by advocating for a better export environment and by removing difficulties and shortcomings in the ready-made garments trade, through continuous interaction with concerned bodies and institutions.

BM. How do you manage your responsibilities as a chairman of the association?
Ans: Telling you in broad sense that our main motive is to facilitate the members with what they need actually. We maintain to resolve their problems and issues pertaining the exports while building mutual co-operation with Govt. and agencies. Being as a Chairman I would emphasis the Govt. to ease the export policies and let the garment exporters be optimistic their work to compete its competitors. Unless Govt. entertains us the lever plain field we couldn't enhance our export and the foremost our current export would tumble down.

BM. What kind of policies do you expect from the Govt. to level your exports to your competitors?
Ans: In this context, I would be of the view that excess cost of electricity, gas and water should be reduced as per requirement so that we ensure our export at upper level to different countries. Secondly, when globalization occurred in 2005 Govt. supported us 6% of rebuilt in Research & Development that reduced our losses and we gained profitability. Govt. now in June 30, 2008 finished it and despite insisting no proper and quick action came into existence.

BM. What has been the role of your association by the happening of current financial crisis?
Ans: Let me say few things here, firstly, as the financial recession hit the whole world many countries facilitate their industries with bail out. Unfortunately, no bail out was honoured by the Govt. in spite of staging protest. Interest rate is too high that deteriorating our export as compare to our competitors.

BM. What is your export target by next five years?
Ans: We are expected to have double our export in coming years but political uncertainty, law & order situation, weak exports policies and high interest rate are major hurdles that don't let us fulfill our export target. Sri Lanka, which got independence later than us in 1971 and much has been able to maintain export policies although it is not a cotton production country. At the other hand, being a cotton production country we are still tumbling down. We export, at this moment,  $11billion cotton textile and $4billion garment. If we have level plain field then goes to double $22 billion to $24 billion. I am claiming in this sense that here we have devoted and high labour force.

BM. Do you have Research and Development Department in your association?
Ans: Needless to say that we have a research and development department, which provides our members the policies and analysis that what is going in other countries. Additionally, our members are made aware of the ongoing export activities through a significant analysis and research.

BM. In your views, how do you comment on our commercial consulate deployed in foreign countries?
Ans:  There is a magnificent role commercial consulate in upbringing the business of one's country. Unfortunately, our commercial consulate did not show any positive role to promote and boost the business. The idea, now is floating that commercial consulate should be appointed the local Pakistani in other countries to remove the distress of exporters.

BM. What message would you like to convey through our magazine "Business Monitor"?
Ans: All I have to say, that Govt. and business community should resolve their problems and issues maintaining a high-speculated policies and a great consultation between them.  Govt. in the side of business should come up with a grim determination to ensure the political uncertainty.

mawaiz.khan@businessmonitorpk.com