Sunday July 17, 2016
Kabul (BNA) Despites heavy stagnation in the tailoring market due to wide import of the Chinese garments, tailoring had recently thrived much in the capital Kabul, a craftsman said.
Murtaza said he has been engaged in this craft, since long and worked as a trainer for 12 years, in his late father (Abdul Ali) led tailoring small factory, with a background of up to 50 years located in Pul-e-Baghe Omomi area, Kabul Downtown. According to him, his led apparatus offers regular services to its own special costumers. Different clothes are imported from different neighboring and regional countries, but those of Pakistanis are now less than what imported in the past. 50 tailors, four of them professional Pakistanis are working in the tailoring plant, where they are not only providing shirts and trousers for men but alsomakingdifferent types of garments, the number of which reach to up to 100 pairs each day, for men, women and children, he added. Afghan traditional dresses and embroidery are also provided in the plant, with special costumers purchasing them to take them as gifts to foreign countries, said Murtaza, who added they have costumers in the provinces as well. Pakistani delicate tailoring style is more popular than those of Afghan made, so we have employed few ones to help our trainees get professionalized in tailoring, he continued. The stipends, with those working as contract or permanent, monthly, differs; taken from 15,000 Afghanis to 50,000 Afghanis each month.
He complained about the rise in the power bill, saying his company has to pay at least 50,000 Afghanis each month as each kilowatt of electricity has reached to 12.5 Afghanis and tax on the imported goods as well as the import of low-quality Chinese garments. He asked the government to lessen taxes, power bill payment and prevent the import of low quality garments to help the country’s domestic products, particularly, textiles more popularized among the people. A busy-in-work in the small Abdul Ali Enterprise, Samim said he received training in this company besides getting trained in clothe-making in the tailoring house and now can sew different outfits since his engagement of up to 10 years in this company.
A costumer of Abdul Ali tailoring company, Faisal Rahimim who also run his own firm said he was the costumer of the plant for 20 years as the company makes delicate dresses with low prices compared to other companies. Ahmad Jawid, another tailor in Shah-e-Doshamshira area told The Kabul Times that there are over 30 tailoring-houses, some of them with Pakistani tailors. He, who said worked as tailor for 20 years said they receive only 350Afghanis from each pair of cloth, paying up to 6000 as work license and 15 percent taxes each month. Tailoring has no tangible development, except during Eid days or any special ceremonies like weeding parties. He asked the government to return the bill to its previous rate and help his company, with its members continue their works without suffering intolerable payments.
Karima Malikzada