Textile exporters hope for revival after dull Christmas season

Textile exporters in Pakistan, like their regional counterparts, struggle to be merry this Christmas season, as a buying freeze abroad has hit all segments, from apparel, denim and knits to home textiles, though they hope things will get better in the coming months. “This time around, we did not get Christmas orders,” says Sohail Pasha, chairman of the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association. As a rule of thumb, international markets move six months in advance. Hence, Christmas orders are placed in June-July and delivered three months before the start of the season. But demand was slow due to the global economic environment this year. “The recession has spread everywhere, from Europe and UK to Australia and South Africa,” says Mr Pasha, adding that warehouses are already full of inventories.