The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) has sought approval of different projects worth Rs 504 million has identified projects amounting Rs 1713.95 million for strengthening of Small And Medium Enterprises (SMEs) of all important sectors of the economy.
Smeda has already launched projects involving Rs 1107.14 million that are under progress and would be completed within the stipulated time. The Chief Executive Officer, Smeda, Shahid Rashid told this in an interview with Business Recorder on Friday. He said, 'On completion of these projects, the SMEs would be able to provide a strong base for the industrial development in the country, which in turn, would help alleviate poverty by creating thousands of jobs.'
Giving details of the projects already approved by the Government of Pakistan, the Smeda Chief said sports and surgical goods and musical instrument being produced in Sialkot have always been a major source of earning the much-required foreign exchange.
To further facilitate the business community, Smeda is going to set up Sialkot Business and Commerce Centre at the cost of Rs 341.67 million. In this connection, the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) contributed Rs 170 million out of which, Rs 150 million would be spent on procurement of land and Rs 20 million on the construction of building of the centre.
Rashid said the centre would be a one-stop shop for the international buyers while arrangements would be made for holding exhibitions of Sialkot made products round the year. Further, the provision of business infrastructure facility for the exporters, particularly for the SMEs, would also be ensured under the project to be completed by 2011.
The centre will facilitate 5,000 export-oriented SMEs besides creating 1,000 of new jobs. With a view to exploit mining potential in Balochistan, Chromite Beneficiation Plant has been planed at Muslim Bagh at the cost of Rs 8.38 million. The plant being a common facility centre would enrich Chromite content of the ores.
This project will be executed in collaboration with the Chromite Mine Owners Association of Balochistan while the SMEs associated with Chromite mining would partner the project. Furthermore, it would help liberate them from unwanted rock material and other minerals and eventually separate the final product into uniform grain sizes.
Apart from adding value to the Chromite products, the project will also help reduce transportation cost and create skilled and unskilled jobs in the sector, he maintained. For effective monitoring and evaluation to ensure optimum utilisation of resources and strengthen the technical capacity of regional offices, policy and projects' implementation, evaluation and monitoring unit will also be established against a cost of Rs 25.82 million.
'This project is aimed at executing and monitoring the Public Sector Development Projects that require specialised staff, trained in project management with diverse skill set,' the CEO said adding that this will also ensure timely completion and compliance with all procedural requirements. Further, he said that an amount of Rs 35.01 million would be spent on revival of Hyderabad Leather Footwear Centre (HLFC), expected to produce trained workforce for the footwear cluster.
Describing the project he said, there are 50 rooms in the centre that could be used as business incubators to display footwear products besides, providing business development services to the footwear cluster in Hyderabad. The revived project would be completed by the year 2011, he added.
Smeda CEO further said that the SMEs subcontracting exchange has also been planned with a view to establish technical information database containing vendors' skill and production profiles. Its main objective is to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs through inter-firm linkages and promoting large manufacturing to procure and subcontract from small firms.
The Rs 22.82 million project, which would be completed by 2010, would benefit inter-firm linkages leading the SMEs to enhance productivity and access to local and international market besides, ensuring technology transfer and adherence to quality standards, he added.
With a view to empower the women, said Smeda Chief Women Business Development Centres (WBDC) would be set up in Karachi and Peshawar at the cost of Rs 62.44 million. The WBDC would work as incubation centres would provide a secure and complete facility (office space, product display facility, business consultancy, training and networking) for women entrepreneurs in Karachi and Peshawar to promote home based business.
'A female managed, hassle free business infrastructure facility for women entrepreneurs in a commercial area of Karachi and Peshawar would accelerate the successful development of female entrepreneurs,' he maintained. The structure will hold the facility of stalls and display centres for women entrepreneurs at affordable rates for a fixed duration that would encourage them to start up their professional services like accountants, lawyers, and product developers.
In addition, help desk services and offices would be created at the centres to provide incubation facilities to the businesswomen. Similarly, WBDC has also been planned in Quetta, which requires Rs 26 million.
Rashid further said that Smeda has identified some other projects whose PC-I has already been submitted to the government for its approval. Important among them are: Acid De-lint Facilities for Seed Processing Industry in Rahim Yar Khan at a cost of Rs 85.00 million.
Apple Treatment Plant in Quetta with a cost of Rs 69.00 million, Shrimp Aqua-culture Development project in Balochistan that needs Rs 151.00 million, Business Facilitation Centre in four major clusters (one in each cluster) in Punjab at the cost of Rs 5.70 million.
Red Chilli Processing Centre in Kunri, Sindh for Rs 156.67 million, Date Processing Plant, Panjgur estimating a cost of Rs 14.62, Food Packaging Institute, Lahore with a cost of Rs 300.00 million, Handicrafts Design, Development and Training Centre Dadu, Sindh to be completed with Rs 56.04 million.
Similarly, Handloom Products Development Centre in Multan has been identified that would cost Rs 110 million. Human Resource Development SMEDA Lahore to train skilled and professional workforce involves an estimated cost of Rs 33.32 million.
Hyderabad Business Centre in Sindh needs Rs 102 million, Rs 400 million would be needed for Implementation of Action Plans, Cluster Diagnostic Studies, Lahore, Sialkot, Rawalpindi, Mango Pulp Making Unit Mirpur Khas needs Rs 160 million and a Warehouse Facility in Chaman has been planned at a cost of Rs 44.60 million, Smeda chief concluded.
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