EPB chief hints at surpassing export target

Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Chairman Tariq Ikram has said that $17 billion export target set for the current fiscal year would not only be achieved but it may be surpassed.
While addressing a seminar on 'Warehouses' at Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), he said that exports worth $13.5 billion had already been made till April 2006, which is 18 percent higher than the exports in corresponding period of last year.
The EPB chairman said that the government was keen to overcome trade deficit and were adopting effective strategy for boosting up exports and added that besides restructuring the EPB, the government would constitute Export Development Authority to evolve ways for the purpose.
Tariq Ikram maintained that warehouses would be built at Kenyan cities, Mombasa and Nairobi, and exporters from Pakistan could store their goods in those warehouses for 90 days free of cost. This will also help the exporters greatly to capture African market, he added.
For availing the facility of warehouses, the exporters might apply to steering committee with necessary particulars of goods to be stored, he said and added that the exporters would be responsible for quality and quantity and have to obey Kenyan Laws about bonded and non-bonded items.
The project of warehouses was assigned to a company having 25 years experience in this field, the EPB chief pointed out.
Tariq Ikram advised the exporters to concentrate on exports to African counties where Pakistani products are in heavy demand. He further said that exports of non-traditional items, including fisheries, food, marble, jewellery, engineering goods and meat have considerably increased during last eight years, and suggested to introduce more non-traditional items and use of warehouses facility.
Giving break-up of exports, Tariq Ikram told the gathering that goods worth 400 million dollars were exported to African countries as compared to 326 million dollars to Eastern Europe. He observed that exports could further be increased to these markets through using marketing skills.
The EPB chief observed that rice; furniture and engineering items could be exported to Iraq and Jordan. As to steps for boosting exports, he said that business support units would be set up in about 60 countries to work in aid of Pakistani exporters.
About marble industry and its made-ups, Tariq Ikram said that these have earned 40 million dollars in foreign exchange. He admitted although there was already 300 percent increase in export of marble but there was much room for further increase and the same could exceed 300 million dollars.
To a query of an exporter about indifferent attitude of commercial attaché at Pakistani embassies, the EPB chairman assured to look into the matter.