Pakistan

The Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has signed a partnership agreement with the International Labor Organization (ILO) aimed at improving working conditions in textile factories in Faisalabad. The 3-year partnership will cover over 200 production units and includes a comprehensive framework to improve productivity through training and compliance with international labor standards. PTEA officials are optimistic about the plan and say that a good public-private partnership will be essential to addressing the industry’s systemic issues. (Fibre2Fashion)
 
A proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Turkey promises to greatly boost textile exports from Pakistan, according to that country’s Commerce Minister. He said that Pakistan intends to study the effects of its existing FTAs with countries like China, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia before making a final decision on this one, though analysts say it’s likely that the FTA with Turkey would be signed within 2 years. It’s estimated that the FTA could add an additional US$10 billion in bilateral trade to Pakistan’s coffers if approved. (Fibre2Fashion)