After the abolition of import tariffs on raw cotton by the Pakistan government in January 2020, the textile industry has surged to full load production. In addition, Pakistan is gaining higher textile export orders.

Pakistan's National Textile Mills Association (APTMA) said that Pakistan's textile industry is now working hard. If all goes well, the development of the textile industry will support the government's target export target of 240-250 billion dollars in the current fiscal year (July 2019 to June 2020).

In addition, the export of Pakistan's textile products is on the rise, and the export of raw materials including cotton and yarn is on the decline. This is a positive development for Pakistan's economy. As China's textile production has dropped by 70-80% due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, international textile buyers have transferred their purchase orders to Pakistan.

APTMA officials say that if the government overcomes the problem of high energy pricing, natural gas connections and tax rebate, textile exports will double in the next five years. APTMA asked the government to introduce a long-term textile policy for five years. Once the government announces this policy, textile exports will grow at an annual rate of 10-15% in the next five years.

It is estimated that in the current financial year, Pakistan will import about 750-800 million bales (170 kilograms per packet) of cotton, and the output is only half the demand (15 million packs). Cotton imports in Pakistan are expected to hit a record high. So far, Pakistan has imported about 1/3 of cotton, and imports in the next two to three months will reach about 70%, and will continue to import in the remaining time of fiscal year 2020. With the abolition of 3% of the regulatory tax, 2% of the additional tariffs and 5% of the sales tax on imports of cotton from January 15, 2020, the import rate of cotton has accelerated.