Pakistan Readymade Garment Manufacturer and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) former chairman Ijaz Khokhar has urged upon the federal Textile Ministry and Punjab Government to take initiatives for developing "Garment Village" in Sialkot because value-added garment sector has great potential in the city.
At present Sialkot was fulfilling 30 percent worldwide consumption and the Martial Art Industry was the key foreign exchange earning source, he disclosed. In an interview with Business Recorder here on Sunday, he highlighted the importance of setting up the garment village.
He said if government would take drastic steps and adopt far-reaching approach in this regard, according to a rough calculation, garments amounting to 90,000 dollars could be produced on daily basis besides facilitating the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) engaged with industry.
Ijaz was of the opinion that provision of ready-factory buildings to SMEs and vendors on rental basis in the proposed garment village besides ensuring well-developed physical infrastructure and other support services in this proposed village, the exports of garments would definitely increase manifold.
The SMEs, he said, were doing their business on self-resources and if government took radical step for development of the proposed village. It would help mitigating the problems being confronted by the SMEs and would provide an opportunity for bringing out SMEs from pressure enabling them to play a vital role in boosting the exports of garments.
Ijaz said there was great need for setting up garment training institute, textile laboratory and development centre in this export-oriented city to help the garment sector. The establishment of training institute would not only cater the needs of readymade garment sector but also help in producing the skilled labour, he added.
He was of the opinion that the induction of trained and skilled labour in readymade sector would be supportive in improving the standard and quality of the products.
The PRGMEA's former chairman said that according to a rough estimate more than 15,000 workers engaged with readymade garments and earning their livelihood in a respectable way. The total export of Sialkot was 900 million dollars, of which the share of readymade garments stood on one fourth, he added.
Ijaz Khokar said if federal and provincial governments took timely action for the establishment garment village and training institute in Sialkot, the readymade garment sector would become a major player of foreign exchange earning.
He called upon the high ups of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and other concerned that the visit of foreign trade delegations should be ensured to this export-oriented city and hub of cottage industries of the country, because Sialkot-Karachi flights were now available.
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