KARACHI, Dec 8: Bedwear exporters are finding it hard to compete with their rivals on the world markets owing to high input costs and unfeasible business environment due to poor security situation.

Leaders of Pakistan Bedwear Exporters Association (PBEA) were critical of high gas, water and finance costs the export industry had to pay, rendering their end-products uncompetitive on the world market.

Addressing a press conference PBEA incumbent Chairman Zain Bashir along with association’s former chairmen Shabir Ahmed and Naqi Bari said that in 2005-2006 bedwear exports crossed $2 billion which had tumbled to $1.7 billion in 2011-2012.

Since the input cost still stands very high against regional countries, the bedwear exports could fall to $1.5 billion this year, he warned.

“The bedwear exports during the first four months (July-Oct) of this fiscal year witnessed a decline of 13.4 per cent,” he added.

Giving details about input costs, he said: “Gas and mark up rates are much lower in all countries including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Turkey and China, which are directly in competition with our textile products. While Bangladesh enjoys an advantage of 9 to 10 per cent for being Least Developed Country, like India it also provides direct support to its textile exporters in the form of drawbacks.”

“If textile exporters are given appropriate support, the export could touch $30 billion mark in a short period of six years.

However, it is tragic to see that instead of increasing our share in the world market and helping to earn foreign revenue for the country, there is persistent fall in exports,” he maintained. He was critical of the fact that despite huge coal reserves, the country was not benefiting for producing cheap energy to keep its industrial activity running at its peak.