SME policy to boost small and medium trade: minister

Caretaker Punjab Industries Minister Khawaja Muhammad Jalaluddin Roomi said here on Sunday that the first ever and most comprehensive SME policy to boost small and medium businesses will be implemented in the near future.
Talking to newsmen here on Sunday he said the policy has been formulated in view of the problems and needs of small and medium enterprises of the country under the 'credit guarantee fund' and sub-contracting exchange to facilitate the SMEs.
Giving details of the projects under way, and those in the pipeline, he said that implementation of the policy will activate more SMEs and ensure rapid development in this sector.
Apart from this, a database line survey is being conducted in 20 districts of the country to ascertain the problems and requirements of the industrial sector, he added.
Roomi said that an Agro Food Processing Facilities Centre costing Rs 200 million is being set up in Multan to provide processing facilities for pulp extraction of various fruits like mango, guava, etc.
The construction work on the centre will be completed by June, while machinery for the centre will be imported from Italy, he added. The project, with the introduction of the latest technology, will also facilitate local growers to prepare tomato paste and puree, lead to value addition, and help reduce post-harvest losses currently estimated at 30 percent.
The proposed centre will expose farmers to the latest fruit and vegetable-processing techniques that can add value to their products and fetch foreign exchange through exports, he added. The minister also said that a Business Centre at Gujranwala has been established jointly by Smeda and t5he Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) at a cost of Rs 200 million, which will become functional by May.
It will provide a single promotional and display platform for the wide range of products manufactured in that region to attract national and international buyers, he added. He said that a Women Business Incubation Centre has been established in Lahore, which is a cell set up to resolve any problems being faced by women entrepreneurs, and extend hands-on support such as business infrastructure, fully furnished offices with telephone and internet facilities, display area for exhibition purposes, as well as administrative and business development support.
The minister further said that the Surgical Industry Development Project costing more than a billion rupees will be launched shortly in Sialkot. Similarly, a Sports Industries Development Centre, Product Development Centre for Composite, and Sialkot Business and Commerce Centre have also been initiated by Smeda in Sialkot to facilitate the local industry, he added.