ISLAMABAD: Taking notice of the sale of Pakistani products like rice and salt abroad as products of other countries, Senate’s Standing Committee on Commerce and Textile Industry has asked the Ministry of Commerce and its attached department Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) to protect the indigenous products of the country.
During a meeting of the committee held here on Wednesday with Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi in the chair, members of the Committee stressed upon the need to protect the Pakistani products like salt and rice when they are exported abroad as reports have been heard about Pakistani rice and salt being sold as other countries’ products.
The committee also stressed on easing the process of registration of patent, trademark and copyright. The committee also suggested IPO develop an effective mechanism to deal with people involved in using or copying fake names. The committee, after a detailed briefing by Chairman IPO Mujeeb Ahmed Khan, also appreciated the steps taken by the organization during the past year to improve intellectual property rights in Pakistan.
Mujeeb Ahmed briefed the committee about Electronic documentation and digitalization/automation of the registration process introduced at IPO for swift and transparent registration of the patent, trademark, and copyright. According to him unlike registration of 16068 in the whole financial year 2017-18, at least 17047 trademarks were registered during the past six months of this financial year (July 2018 to January 2019). Similarly, as compared to 198 patents registered in 2017-18, at least 175 were registered in the past six months out of the 513 applications received during the same period. Besides, 1194 copyrights were registered in the past six months as compared to 1367 registered in 2017-18. At least 184 designs were also registered in the six months period.
During the meeting, the Senate panel also recommended bringing Pakistan Cotton Research Centre back under the control of Textile Industry Division from Ministry of National Food Security & Research since the Textile Industry division is a more relevant ministry to oversee cotton research.
The Committee meeting held a thorough discussion on the current performance of the textile sector. The Committee was told that the world has now moved from raw cotton to synthetic cotton but Pakistan is still producing raw cotton in bulk which does not have high quality. Pakistan is at 5th place in cotton production in the world but it has failed to benefit from its production as much as much smaller countries are benefitting.
The Committee directed the ministry to conduct a tracers study of Bangladeshi and Vietnamese textile production and export policy and submit to the committee. The Committee also asked the ministry to share the draft of new textile policy with the Committee once it is made so that meaningful inputs can be given.
The meeting was also attended Senators Nauman Wazir Khattak, Dr Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi, Syed Shibli Faraz, Atta ur Rehman, Dilawar Khan, Ahmed Khan, Secretary Commerce Mohammad Younus Dagha, Secretary Textile Industry Syed Iftikhar Babar, Rector National Textile University Dr Tanveer and officials from the ministry.
