The chairman, Task Force on Trade and Industry, Mian Muhammad Riaz, has said the government has adopted a far-reaching approach for bringing out the surgical industry from stagnation. In an interview with Business Recorder here, he said the step was being taken for enhancing the export-volume of surgical industry of the country.
The surgical industry was enjoying the monopolistic position globally and the surgical instruments are most economical and coupled with unconditional guarantee of the finest quality, he added. On the pressing demands of exporters and manufacturers engaged in surgical industry the government was considering imposing ban on the export semi-finished and unfinished products for protecting the surgical industry from decline, he said.
The government had allowed the duty-free import of raw material for facilitating the industrial sector but the rates of raw material were increasing apace as a result of which the cost of production was increasing rapidly, he said.
Riaz said that setting up of a 'Raw Material Bank' was under active under consideration of the government aimed at providing raw material to the surgical manufacturers and exports on fixed rates.
He called upon the investors especially the overseas Pakistanis that they should focus on investing in stainless steel sector for improving the production standard of Pakistani steel, adding that quality stainless steel had become more imperative because the foreign buyers had become more quality conscious. Despite various hurdles and rapid variation in the prices of raw materials the business community of Sialkot was making hectic efforts in maintaining the quality and standard of the surgical instruments, he added.
Mian Riaz also said the government had focused its special attention on bringing revolutionary changes in industrial sector of the country with the concept of ensuring strong export base.
Undoubtedly, Pakistan had become a very attractive hub of foreign investment due to the strong and effective economic policies of the government, he said. To cope with the shortage of trained and skilled workforce, the government has taken numerous steps to produce trained and skilled force in the country, he added.
He said that a full-fledged Institute of Surgical Technology costing Rs 160.459 million is being established and this institute would play a pivotal role in the provision of surgical nursery to the manufacturers of surgical instruments. The work on this project would be carried out shortly and this institute would impart training to 250 students in various fields of surgical manufacturing and it will be equipped with latest machinery, he added. He claimed that the institute will usher in a new era in the development of surgical industry.
The step would not only help reduce unemployment graph but also supportive in increasing the overall production of surgical units as well as help in increasing the export volume, he added.
The surgical industry represents manufacturers and exporters of surgical instruments, dental instruments, veterinary, pedicure and manicure items, tailor scissors, barber scissors and beauty saloon instruments, he added.
Riaz also said on government-to-government level and individual level efforts were being made for acquiring instructors from Germany for imparting latest training to the students in the Institute of Surgical Technology.
On the occasion, he suggested that business community of this export-oriented city and hub of cottage industry should formulate a strategy for setting up power generation plant on self-help basis for catering to the industrial needs and keep the economic wheel in full motion.
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