Leather sector witnessing dwindling exports: Chairman PTA

Chairman Hamid A Zahur of the Pakistan Tanner’s Association (PTA) has written to Federal Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, urging immediate attention to the imminent "Transport Strike" that is expected to have significant negative impacts on Pakistan's leather export sector. The indefinite nature of the proposed strike would severely disrupt both export and import activities, making it difficult to timely execute and deliver leather export shipments for embarkation.

The PTA chairman noted that Pakistan's leather export sector, which is highly value-added and export-oriented, is already struggling with dwindling exports due to the high cost of production. The looming transport strike poses an additional major obstacle for the timely execution of ongoing export orders to valued foreign buyers/customers. This disruption will likely lead to the breach of commitments/letters of credit (LCs) with foreign buyers/customers for the timely delivery of export shipments.

To address this critical situation, the PTA requests the minister to issue directives to the concerned departments/ministry to ensure a smooth process of transport without any hindrances. This will facilitate the timely shipment of leather exports to foreign buyers/customers, ultimately helping to generate vital foreign exchange for the country, which is urgently needed.

The PTA emphasizes that prompt action would be greatly appreciated in order to prevent further damage to the export activities and industries within the sector.