Economy
FG sets up committee on textile revival strategy
Jul 27, 2010, 19:39
| | The Vice President, Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, has set up a committee to re-assess and adopt a holistic approach towards evolving strategies that will facilitate the revival of the moribund textile industries across the country.
He was speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in his office, on Tuesday July 27, which was a follow-up to the drive to revive the hitherto comatose textile industries. He said the meeting was convened with the aim of finding lasting solutions to the menace of un-employment and the need to support those in the farming sector as according to him “They are shortchanged due to their inability to produce cash crops as there are no ready markets for them at home.”
He said that Government is expending energy and resources to ensure that they produce power to address their energy needs. He used the occasion to further explain government efforts in the areas of construction of water treatment plants in both Kano and Kaduna States, making available funds for textile industries at low interest rates for retooling of factories.
The committee which consists of Ministries of Finance as Chairman and Ministry of Commerce has the Department of Customs, EFCC, BOI, NNPC, representative of the textile industries. Others include the representative of the office of the Vice President and that of UNT Plc. It has as its term of reference, to come up with permanent solutions that will settle once and for all the outstanding problems as related to the textile revival, to develop policy that will protect our market and our marketers. The committee has a period of four weeks to submit its report.
Earlier the National Textile Manufacturers Association has complained of infrastructural decay, high cost of production, cost of transportation, shortage and escalating cost of cotton seeds, cheaper imported goods, counterfeiting by the Chinese authorities, power, export expand grant. They requested for 5 years tax holiday, relief exempting locally produced goods from VAT and the formation of anti-smuggling committee to fight smuggling. They also requested that they should enjoy patronage by government and should not be charged for connectivity for gas and pipeline consumption.
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