SIALKOT: Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Majid Raza Bhutta has urged the government to take effective measures for setting up sector specific export promotion councils in the country.
The proposed councils should work under the commerce ministry for the betterment of the export industry, he added.
Talking to the reporters on Saturday night, the SCCI president said, keeping in view the fast-changing business trends globally, a new concept of shared showrooms has been introduced in various countries.
He suggested that shared showrooms and display centres in potential markets should also be set up for providing opportunities to exporters to showcase their products with proper marketing facilities.
He said that the shared showrooms strategy would be an opportunity for Pakistan to compete with its rivals in the market and take ‘Made in Pakistan’ branding to another level and ensure an increase in exports.
The SCCI president said that the government should provide special incentives to encourage exports in high-priority sectors, like textile and clothing, surgical and dental instruments, leather products, sports goods, footwear, gems and jewellery and furniture.
Similarly, potential sectors like surgical implants, composite products, light engineering products, printing and packing, sportswear, fitness apparel, gloves and musical instruments etc., need special focus and facilities to perform optimally, he added.
He emphasised the need for setting up Marketing Intelligence Cell at Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) for providing assistance to manufacturers and exporters in obtaining information pertaining to international demands for commodities, competitive price index, expanding markets and other essential trends.
The cell would also serve to disseminate updated information to the exporters on export markets and technology to facilitate diversification of exports, Majid added.
Majid proposed that the government should provide interest-free loan on 10 per cent of the total exports for the import of new technology, enabling exporters to upgrade their industrial units to tackle the production inefficiencies.
