The setting up of three important projects namely Sports Industries Development Centre (SIDC), Product Development Centre for Composite and Sialkot Business and Commerce Centre costing more than Rupees one billion are in doldrums as no funds are available to start these projects.
The concept of initiating Sports Industries Development Centre was to enable sports goods sector to adopt new technology of mechanised ball, which is posing serious threat to hand-stitched inflatable soccer ball. The federal government initiated these projects aimed at resolving the problems confronted by the sports goods sector and for its modernisation.
The sports goods sector of Sialkot is the main export sector of the city with total exports of about US 350 million dollars per annum. The city is catering 85 percent of total world demand of hand stitched inflatable balls, which means around 40 million balls annually worth US 210 million dollars.
The main benefits of the project were to facilitate Pakistan in sustaining its position in international market of hand-stitched inflatable balls in general and soccer balls in particular. Provide skilled workforce to the sector, help develop machinery locally, develop an indigenous patent for mechanised soccer ball and get it registered internationally, providing assistance in setting up mechanised ball production line in individual industrial units, developing proto-type balls for industry and developing quality vulcanisation and pasting moulds.
Similarly, the aim of setting up of Product Development Centre was to facilitate sports goods industry and to enable it to cope with the emerging technology of Composite Materials and to enter into the largest segment of sports goods exports more than 55 percent of the sports goods are composite based.
The services like product testing (physical and chemical), provide skilled work force to the industry, enhance productivity by providing technical support services to the new and existing industrial units and facilitate in increasing exports of composite based sports goods by the Product Development Centre. Sialkot is the main export-oriented city of the country and internationally known as a producer of quality products in sports goods, surgical instruments, leather garments, sportswear and musical instruments.
Around 400,000 people are engaged directly or indirectly with export activities while export earnings of the city hover around US l billion dollars. Sialkot city is under the process of development and the concept of displaying products is taking grounds and increasing exposure to international markets, industry people are realising the utter need of new marketing and selling hubs.
Keeping in view the importance and increasing need of Sialkot Business and Commerce Centre was initiated but due unknown reasons the development work on the project was stopped. Sialkot Business and Commerce Centre will be an eight story building and consist of expo-halls, display centers, convention centre, management offices and Women Entrepreneur Development Cell.
The business community of Sialkot have appealed to the federal government to release funds for the accomplishment of these three mega projects costing more than Rs 1 billion. They urged upon the all the concerned departments to adopt rational approach for initiating the development work on these vital projects to facilitate and to redress the multifarious problems being confronted by the sports goods industry of Sialkot.
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