APTMA, EXIM Bank explore financing to expand textile exports
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✧ GENERATE BRIEFING
The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) and the Export-Import Bank of Pakistan (EXIM Bank) have held high-level strategic talks to expand access to concessional financing frameworks aimed at driving industrial modernization, capital investment, and export growth across the country's flagship textile sector. During a formal consultative visit to APTMA, EXIM Bank President and CEO Shahbaz H. Syed engaged with prominent manufacturers and exporters, detailing dedicated credit lines designed to ease liquidity constraints. Syed emphasized that concessionary interest rates are vital for enabling fresh investments and supporting the Balancing, Modernisation, and Replacement (BMR) of legacy plants and machinery, committing to an expedited turnaround window of within a fortnight for processing textile loan applications. APTMA Chairman Asad Shafi underscored that the textile and apparel sector—which anchors over 60% of Pakistan’s total export receipts—requires robust institutional backing to enhance global competitiveness.
The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) and the Export-Import Bank of Pakistan (EXIM Bank) have discussed expanding access to concessional financing to support new investment and modernisation across the country’s textile industry.
The discussions took place during a visit by EXIM Bank President and CEO Shahbaz H. Syed to APTMA, where representatives of textile manufacturers and exporters reviewed the bank’s existing financing facilities, export-support initiatives and future plans.
Syed said EXIM Bank would continue working with the textile sector to improve awareness and access to its financing schemes. He said concessionary interest rates could help exporters address financing constraints and encourage investment in new projects as well as Balancing, Modernisation and Replacement (BMR) of existing plants and machinery.
The EXIM Bank chief also encouraged APTMA members to utilise the discounted financing facilities and assured the industry that loan applications from textile exporters would be processed quickly, with decisions expected within the next fortnight.
Strategic Vision and Value Addition
APTMA Chairman Asad Shafi said the textile and apparel industry contributes more than 60% of Pakistan’s exports and requires stronger institutional support to improve competitiveness, expand capacity and move further towards brands and designs. He said stronger value addition could help increase the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
Exporters at the meeting highlighted the need for timely and affordable financing for working capital, long-term investment, BMR, technology upgrades, research and development, design and brand development. They also called for EXIM Bank financing to be extended to indirect exporters to support modernisation throughout the textile value chain.
Growth Targets and Policy Demands
The financing discussions come as APTMA’s new leadership has placed greater emphasis on increasing value-added textile exports. Shafi has said the industry could generate an additional $3 billion in exports this year and increase exports by $10 billion over the next two to three years, provided Pakistan offers a competitive and predictable business environment.
APTMA has also called for competitive energy and financing costs, improved exporter liquidity and restoration of support measures such as the Duty Drawback of Local Taxes and Levies (DLTL). The association has argued that investment in technology, manufacturing capacity and international branding is necessary for Pakistan to capture a larger share of the global textile value chain.
Both sides agreed to continue discussions on practical measures to improve export financing, facilitate investment and support higher textile exports.
