DNA

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has invited Primark, an international fashion retailer, to open office in Pakistan.

A delegation of Primark visited the APTMA Lahore office on Thursday. The delegation consisted of Mr. Mathew Rhodes, Head of Sourcing and Mr. John Steven, Director Supply Chain. 

Patron-in-Chief APTMA MrGoharEjaz, Chairman APTMA North Zone Mr Hamid Zaman? Senior Vice Chairman Mr Kamran Arshad, former Chairman Mr. AamirFayyaz, former Chairman Mr. Adil Bashir and Mr. Habib Anwar welcomed the delegation on the occasion. 

The visiting delegation head maintained that Pakistan has huge potential to export all sorts of textile products because of the diversification of exports.

MrGoharEjaz said that Pakistan’s textile industry is on an upward trajectory with the addition of $500 million per month through incremental capacity. This has been enabled through TERF and its support of 100 new projects. However, even the current capacity is not fully utilized due to energy supply and quality constraints for the last 6 months, costing Pakistan approximately $300 in lost production/exports million per month.

The global apparel market is expected to grow to $843.13 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6%, but Pakistan’s textile industry has not captured a sufficient level of this demand, given its potential and existing capacity to add $10 billion per annum to exports. The textile industry is faced with countless opportunities to capture greater market share, but state reforms in energy, technological upgradation, diversification and value addition will be necessary in order to enhance the potential of the sector and facilitate economic growth at unprecedented levels. It is pertinent to note Pakistani exporters’ exemplary handling of disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its greater performance compared to regional competitor Bangladesh.