by MSAHUDU KUNATEH
GHANA’S Akosombo Textile Limited (ATL) is on the brink of collapse due to cheap?imports?from Asia.?The?Human Resources Manager?of the company, Ebenezer Kwasi Darko, explained the situation had compelled management of the company to cut 350 jobs.?Its workforces now stands at 1 250.
He said the flurry of goods from China and?India?had also brought about low patronage of their products, which he said were more?fashionable?and of better quality than the?cheap fabric?imports. He therefore called on the government as a matter of urgency to put some?control?measures at the country?s ports and other entry points to check smuggling of textiles into the country in order to save the?local companies?from collapsing. Darko says, ATL is not calling for the?banning?of importation of foreign textiles but explains that, the smugglers have a responsibility to stop their?criminal act?and pay the right taxes and duty to make the playing field level to engender competition.
?A ban does not give the?consumer?the right of choice and we also believe that it is not everybody who can afford every textile on the?market?because of the prices, but let us have a fair competition,? he emphasised. He said there was the need for the government to ensure a level?playing field?in the?textile industry?before the local industries collapsed. The General?Manager of the company, Lau Arthur, stated among other things that, the importers of the pirated textiles did not only evade taxes on imported textile prints but do not provide adequate labelling information on?country of origin
. He said, based on the price and texture of the print, buyers could distinguish between the substandard and the genuine textiles since the?former?is cheaper and usually hard, while the latter is soft and a little costly. He noted that more than 9 600 people depended on the?company?for survival. ?If care is not taken and the unfortunate happens, all those people will be in serious trouble,? said Arthur.
Source itnewsghana.com
