Keywords (Extracted from title, table of contents and
abstract of thesis)
Authentic, Manufacturing, Balasa, Lafay, Diversification, Cotton,
Handouts, Estimated, Interests, Domestic, Competitive, Trade,
Economy, |
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Abstract The purpose of this research was to provide a
comprehensive analysis of international trade in order to evaluate
and determine the challenges it poses, and opportunities, it offers
to Pakistan’s Cotton, Textile and Apparel Sector. The research is
based on secondary data sources. World Bank, WTO, UNCTAD, and a lot
of other valuable and authentic reports from the authors of repute
have been consulted to understand the increasingly complex
international trade relations in a globalizing world. Volumes of
government reports, position papers, handouts and books have been
searched to appreciate the dynamics of Pakistan Cotton, Textile and
Apparel Sector.
The research thesis endeavors to capture where the challenge is.
What is at stake? Who are the players? What are the opportunities in
the international market place? How these challenges can be
translated in to opportunities? Brief account of recent trade
development and the relationship between global and domestic trading
arrangements have been discussed. Role of politics in shaping
decisions and managing power both at domestic and global level,
significance of international commitments, and influence of
historical, cultural back grounds, shared ideas and beliefs, and
individual mind set in competing interests in the domestic economy
have also been dilated upon.
Analytical findings reveal that Pakistan has comparative edge on the
basis of comparative advantage, reveal comparative advantage,
relative trade advantage, and trade complementarities. The estimated
value of revealed comparative advantage of cotton in Pakistan is 18
which is very high than unity which implies that Pakistan has great
opportunities in the export of cotton and cotton manufacturing.
Moreover, the estimated values of balasa and Lafay index for all
cotton and cotton products are very high which reveal that Pakistan
has trade competitiveness in the cotton and cotton manufacturing.
The estimated value of relative trade index for primary products,
cotton seed, cake of cotton seed and cotton linter, are positive
which imply that these products are highly competitive, while oil of
cotton seed and cake of cotton seed are uncompetitive. Furthermore,
the value of trade complementarities variable for USA, EU, Japan and
Canada (trading countries) are greater than unity except SAARC
countries. This means that trading with SAARC countries in cotton
and cotton products is less profitable as compared to other
countries where cotton trading is highly profitable. Still domestic
resource cost analysis (DRC) proves that Pakistan has greater
opportunities in cotton production. The values of reveal comparative
advantage and relative trade advantage further suggest that Pakistan
has greater opportunities and prospects for exporting cotton and
cotton manufacturing. Similarly trade complementarities show and
suggest that Pakistan should focus on Middle East market with
highest trade complementarities, followed by Canada, USA, EU, SAARC
countries and then Japan. Bt transgenic cotton is widely grown in
the cotton growing areas of Sindh and Punjab
Bt cotton can play a significant role to enhance agricultural
productivity as the productivity of cotton in Pakistan is 0.5 ton/ha
as compared productivity of Bt cotton in China is 9 ton/ha which
implies a huge cotton productivity gap. This gap can be narrowed
down by the adoption of Bt cotton in Pakistan which will have major
impact on food security efforts in the country. Urgent efforts are
required to focus on cost efficiency, higher productivity with
quality of cotton, export diversification of cotton products, export
oriented policy and market perspective to become more competitive in
the global cotton market. There is also a need to strengthen the
cotton - textile value chain with back ward and forward linkages.
Unique products have to be developed, and a shift from comparative
advantage to competitive advantage is the way forward..
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