As losses increase, people in the fashion, textile, and clothing industries are pleading with the government to enable them to continue operating under Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP).
Datuk Seri Tan Thian Poh, head of the Federation of Malaysian Fashion, Textile and Apparel (FMFTA), expressed worry over the current scenario, stating that they may only be permitted to function when the nation enters Phase Three of the NRP.
“Are losses suffered by manufacturers and retailers in the fashion, textile, and clothing industries total RM163 million each day.
The government’s threshold indicators for Phase Two of the NRP are 4,000 average daily Covid-19 cases, intensive care unit use no longer at a critical level, and 10% of the country’s population having gotten two doses of the vaccine. Since the first movement control order in 2020, 15% of fashion, textile, and clothing firms have discontinued operations, with another 30% on the verge of shutting owing to a lack of cash flow and uncertainty.
The fashion, textile, and clothing supply chain employs around 500,000 people nationally. According to Tan, 30 percent of stores will fail before Phase Three of the NRP, and about 150,000 people would be laid off. FMFTA praised the government’s efforts to speed up the national immunisation programme. The organisation also requested the government to enable firms to restart full operations if all employees have been fully vaccinated.
