Pakistan’s Share In Textiles Is Only 18.06 Bln Dollars: Dr Tanveer Hussain

Textile and clothing of the world is the 5th largest commodity of about 958 billion dollars but Pakistan’s share is only 18.06 billion dollars in this sector, said Rector National Textile University Faisalabad (NTUF)

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Mar, 2024) Textile and clothing of the world is the 5th largest commodity of about 958 billion Dollars but Pakistan’s share is only 18.06 billion dollars in this sector, said Rector National Textile University Faisalabad (NTUF) Prof. Dr. Tanveer Hussain.

Addressing the inaugural session of two-day 3rd International Conference on “Knowledge-based Textiles (ICKT-2024) at NTUF here on Tuesday, he said, "Our economy is currently struggling," and gave critical steps that needs to be adopted for future for socioeconomic development of the country.

He said, "We should focus on industrialization and our policy makers should prioritize value-added products and reduction in imports in addition to encouraging local production."

He said that the world is moving towards sustainability, textile circularity & recycling. "Hence, we should also concentrate on it for greater national interest. The application of artificial intelligence in textile clothing must remain in consideration if we want to compete with rest of the world," he added.

Chairing the inaugural session, Engineer Prof. Dr Yasir Nawab Director/Dean Faculty of school of Engineering & Technology NTUF said, "We have collaborated with academia, community, industry and government in addition to putting all our efforts together to make an impact through knowledge-based textiles." He introduced more than 30 plus ready-to-market and scalable products under the Grand Challenge Fund funded by the Higher education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan.

Among these included banana fabric, sisal fiber apparel, waste leaves fabric, puncture resistant fabric, multifunctional yarns, increased capacity of power loom, melt spinning machine for recycled polyester, IR shielding fabric, sheep breeds wool/cotton blended fabric and many more.

Dr Yasir Nawab said, "We have launched a skill efficiency and proficiency program for training of the industry professionals." The NTU has the capacity and close industrial collaborations with major stakeholders of Pakistan for making the university a unique institution of Pakistan.

“We are looking towards industrialists for technology transfer of the ready products and adoption for up-scaling which would help in boosting the economy of Pakistan through exporting the value-added products”, he added.

Conference Secretary Dr Muzammil Hussain said that the conference would play a key role in shaping the economy of Pakistan and introducing value-added products through product diversification in the market and sustainable growth. It will also help in achieving long-term growth in textile exports, he added.

Dr. Shahid Rasool from Northumbria University, UK said that the NTU and Northumbria University needed to make collaborative partnership and develop ecosystem of textile manufacturers in addition to using combined resources to achieve the set targets.

He also stressed the need to make speedy efforts for joint funding, joint commercialization and mobilize the faculty and student exchange process.

Navid Gulzar Member board of Governors NTU and member All Pakistan Textile Association emphasized the importance of production of better-quality fibers and need of making collaborative efforts to compete the cutting-edge industry revolution.

He highlighted the importance of producing high-quality products from textile industry by up-gradation of the technology. The conference will play a vital role in embracing the knowledge-based textile, sustainable materials and will help in unlocking the world of opportunities by better research and development and prepare solutions of problems through fore front revolution, he added.

Khawaja Muhammad Amjad from Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturing Association (PHMA) said that Pakistan is equipped with land locked natural resources and has unique geo political situation. He said the government should play its role in introducing business friendly policies related to agriculture and industrial sector.

He said that through business friendly policies, less taxes, ease of doing business, promoting revenue generation through technology, productivity, "we can achieve sustainable growth". "By introducing and improvising the policies we can also emerge as a rising and leading star in the world of economies," he added.

Muhammad Idress Vice Chairman of Pakistan Textile Exporters Association said, "We should work on lean manufacturing processes and advancement in sustainable textiles. We must take diverse steps in productivity, efficiency, eco-friendly quality control systems and social ethics."

Media Secretary Hassan Iftekhar Ahmed and others also spoke on the occasion.