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Banking crisis on cards as Pakistan’s textile sector near brink of default

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  • APTMA has asked for a Zoom meeting with top functionaries of SBP.
  • Commerce ministry says textile industry representatives may hold an urgent meeting SBP officials today.
  • APTMA says textile sector already running at less than 50% capacity.

ISLAMABAD: The textile sector has reached the brink of default in the wake of its inability to service the loans it received under TERF (Temporary Economic Refinance Facility) and LTFF (long-term facing facilities) which may also lead to a possible banking crisis, discloses the letter of APTMA to the State Bank of Pakistan written on February 27, 2023.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) during the PTI era provided the TERF and LTFF facilities to help industrialists install more textile units for growth in exports of the country. 

However, because of the ongoing LCs crisis, stuck-up consignments of imported cotton at the ports owing to the dollars liquidity crunch and withdrawal of RCET by the government in line with IMF diktat, all the new and expansion units in the sector have become non-functional. This has led to immense pressure on export-reignited units which are unable to generate funds to pay even interest on the loans, leading to massive defaults, curtailment capacity and a possible banking crisis.

The textile industry has asked the SBP to extend the moratorium on debt under TERF and LTFF from June 1, 2023, to December 2023 to avoid large-scale Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) and severe negative impacts on the banking sector. 

The APTMA has also asked for a Zoom meeting with top functionaries of the central bank of Pakistan.

Banks are not opening LCs or retiring cotton imports, the letter says, which had led to the non-functioning of the textile units. 

“Now loyal international customers are reluctant and asking Pakistani suppliers whether or not they will be able to meet deadlines and ship orders on time resulting in a loss of export orders. The industry is running out of cotton stocks and textile mills have either shut down or will shut down in the very near future if decisive and urgent action is not taken.” 

The textile sector also urged the SBP to declare the opening of LCs of cotton imports the status of “Must Open.”

The commerce ministry says that textile industry representatives may hold today (Monday) an urgent meeting with top mandarins of the SBP. 

The commerce ministry’s top sources said that the prime minister convened meetings on export sector issues four times but the said meetings couldn’t be held mainly because of the premier’s pressing engagements.

The APTMA also mentioned that the business plan for new industrial units and expansion of the existing units had been carved out based on RCET (Regionally Competitive Energy Tariff) — electricity tariff of Rs19.90 per unit and gas rate at 9 cents per MMBTU. 

However, with the withdrawal of RCET, the industry is forced to run on an electricity tariff of 40 per unit owing to which the textile sector has started dying out day by day. 

The letter disclosed alarming facts saying that the textile sector is already running at less than 50% capacity. Around 7 million workers in the textile sector and textile-related industry were laid off since last summer and if this sector is closed down it will lead to more layoffs resulting in significant unemployment of more than 10 million workers and further deterioration in the balance of payments in the shape of at least $10 billion exports per annum.

The textile industry also highlighted in its letter the bleak cotton production in the country, saying that the country’s cotton production has declined to a historic low this year dropping to 5 million bales due to heavy rains and floods. The cotton production loss has been worth more than $2 billion. 

The textile industry consumes nearly 15 million bales and the current season’s anticipated demand indicates that about 10 million bales will need to be imported. However, banks are not opening LCs for the import of cotton.

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Finance Minister Meets With World Leaders at World Economic Forum in Davos

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During his attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has met with officials of organisations and leaders of many nations.
Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor, Muhammad Younas, met with Mohammad Aurangzeb.
On the fringes of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2025 Opening Banquet, there was an informal meeting.
Additionally, the Finance Minister met with Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Both leaders discussed economic cooperation and bilateral ties.
Muhammad Aurangzeb also had a meeting with Dp World’s Rizwan Soomro and Yuvraj Narayan.
They talked about how to strengthen Pakistan’s logistics and infrastructure systems to support trade.
“The Pakistani government is committed to advancing joint projects and values partnerships in both business-to-business and business-to-government cooperation,” the finance minister added.

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China will establish a $250 million EV production facility in Pakistan.

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As Islamabad looks to Beijing to work with it to establish industrial zones for the production of electronic vehicles, the media said Wednesday that China’s ADM Group would invest $250 million to establish an electric vehicle manufacturing unit in Pakistan.

With an even more ambitious target of 90 percent by 2040, the Pakistani government established the National Electric Vehicles Policy (NEVP) in 2019 with the goal of having 30 percent of all passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks be electric by 2030.

By 2030, the policy aimed to achieve 50% of new sales for two- and three-wheelers and buses, and by 2040, 90%.

As part of the Special Investment Facilitation Council’s efforts to draw in foreign investment, Radio Pakistan reported that the Chinese company ADM Group had announced an investment of $250 million to establish an EV manufacturing plant in Pakistan.

“The switch to EVs is anticipated to save billions of dollars by reducing the cost of fuel imports.”

More than 3,000 electric vehicle charging stations will be installed throughout Pakistan, a South Asian nation, as part of ADM Group’s $350 million investment in the EV industry last year.

Pakistan announced earlier this month that, as part of its ongoing energy sector reform aimed at increasing demand, it would reduce the power rate for operators of electric vehicle charging stations by 45 percent.

Additionally, financial programs for e-bikes and the conversion of gasoline-powered two- and three-wheeled vehicles are planned by the government.

On January 15, the government approved a lower tariff of 39.70 rupees ($0.14) per unit, which will take effect in a month. The previous tariff was 71.10 rupees.

The government anticipates that investors in the industry will see an internal rate of return of over 20 percent.

There are currently over 30 million two- and three-wheeled cars in Pakistan, and they use more than $5 billion worth of petroleum each year, according to a report that Power Ministry adviser Ammar Habib Khan provided to the government and that was covered by Reuters.

The paper estimates that the ministry will save around $165 million in gasoline import expenses each year by converting 1 million two-wheelers to electric motorcycles in a first phase, at an estimated net cost of 40,000 rupees per bike.

In September, BYD Pakistan, a joint venture between China’s BYD and the Pakistani automaker Mega Motors, informed Reuters that, in accordance with international goals, up to 50% of all vehicles purchased in Pakistan by 2030 will be electrified in some way.

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The government has introduced a comprehensive strategy to enhance industrial investment.

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Authorities are poised to execute an ambitious investment promotion strategy through a collaborative initiative between the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) and the Pakistan Administrative Staff College, aiming for substantial enhancements in industrial investment and economic development.

The Special Investment Facilitation Center (SIFC) will be instrumental in this transformative drive by establishing “Business Facilitation Centers” aimed at optimizing investment processes and attracting both domestic and foreign capital.

Principal features of the comprehensive plan encompass:

  1. Forming collaborative working groups to augment domestic and international investment prospects
  2. Formulating a comprehensive strategy to eradicate obstacles to industrial development
  3. Formulating a novel model to tackle issues in the execution of industrial projects
  4. Striving to enhance Pakistan’s international business rating by 50 points
    Targeting $20 billion in foreign industrial investments within the next five years.

The approach prioritizes digital transformation to enhance the transparency and efficiency of the investment process. SIFC’s strategy emphasizes fostering a favorable atmosphere for investors by streamlining bureaucratic processes and offering strategic assistance.

National administration officers are conducting ongoing study to identify and mitigate potential investment barriers, while a specialized research group is formulating a comprehensive strategy to solve current hurdles in industrial growth.

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