Plastic Asia fair to open on March 19

All the arrangements have been finalised to organise three-day Plastic Asia Exhibition 2004 on March 19 to 21 at Lahore.
Almost all the stalls have been booked for the exhibition, a mega event of plastic industry in Pakistan, being organised in the background of WTO and Softa agreements, Syed Nabeel Hashmi, chairman organising committee of the exhibition, said addressing a meeting of the stall holders and members of the organising committee here on Friday.
S. M. Tariq, president, Pakistan Plastic Manufacturers Association, who was also present at the meeting, said that plastic industry was the biggest one owing to variety of its products that include domestic appliances, shoes, bottles, packing material, industrial machinery, construction material and even the spare parts of aircraft.
By the passage of time, the use and utility of plastic material has registered manifold increase, he said, adding that this industry has played a key role in promotion of auto industry and creating huge job opportunities for the people in the country during last few years.
According to PPMA chief, the plastic industry could play an important role in national economy if the government patronised it and offered incentives.
He complained of heavy power tariff and increasing cost of plastic raw material besides levying of a number of taxes and added that smuggling and under-invoicing were also creating hardships for the plastic industry.