Federal Commerce Secretary Suleman Ghani has said that Trade Organisations Ordinance needs to be scrapped or reformed because it has many flaws so much so that it has no provisions for small businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Addressing members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Saturday, Ghani said that Pakistan and Bangladesh were the only countries in the entire world that had trade organisation laws. About the international trade, he said that all efforts were being made to win preferential access for Pakistani textiles to European Union (EU), and hoped the efforts would bear fruit very soon.
However, he said that supply side constraints were more hurting the exports than the international financial crisis. Ghani said that apart from taking special measures for destination diversification to enhance exports, the government was well on way to initiate free trade agreement (FTA) with Indonesia, while measures were being taken to negotiate FTAs with the EU and the United States. The Commerce Secretary, who spoke at length on various issues, made it clear that the business community would have to show responsibility if the EU granted preferential access to Pakistani textile.
He said that despite having FTA with China, Pakistani exporters had failed to avail of the opportunities. "We have zero bed linen exports to China, though there is zero duty on imports from Pakistan." He said: "At Ministry of Commerce, we are of the view that after the World Trade Organisation (WTO), undue protectionism should be done away with."
He urged the business community to move to National Tariff Commission (NTC) to launch their complaints regarding dumping issues, but regretted that since the very inception of NTC, only a few people had contacted the NTC for redressal of their complaints.
He said that in the larger interests of the poultry industry, soyabean import from India via road was under consideration. Speaking on the occasion, LCCI President Mian Muzaffar Ali said that the business community was not very comfortable with the ongoing situation and looking for some respite.
"As a nation, we have lost our direction, therefore, the policy-makers, in consultation with the stakeholders, should evolve policies to set our direction so that we could be able to achieve desired goals. "There is a dire need to restore the confidence of the business community," he added.
The LCCI President said that the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) was the key government authority in Pakistan that organised the trade fairs throughout the world and provides maximum assistance like clearance facility, to the exhibitors, who participated under the umbrella of TDAP managed fairs. These fairs need to be maximised and the facilities be ensured honestly. 'Made in Pakistan' products be introduced to new markets, he added.
The participation of the chambers' representatives in foreign trade delegation be ensured, he said, adding that a special quota should be allocated once for all. He called for the capacity building of businessmen with regard to the WTO procedures. LCCI Vice-President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, former Senior Vice-President Abdul Basit and former Vice-President Shahzad Ali Malik also spoke on the occasion.
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