Exhibition of handmade carpets: Buyers from 25 countries to participate: PCMEA

LAHORE: Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA) Senior Vice Chairman Usman Ashraf said that buyers from 25 countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Hungary, and Turkey, have contacted to participate in the international exhibition of handmade carpets to be held in Pakistan next month and out of which 80 foreigners have been included in the list initially.

He said that the timely financial support from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has greatly helped in the preparations to make the World Exhibition a success. He expressed these views while presiding over the review meeting regarding the 39th World Exhibition in the association’s office.

Chairman of Carpet Training Institute (CTI) Ejazur Rehman, senior central leader Abdul Latif Malik, senior member Riaz Ahmed, Shahid Hasan Sheikh, Saeed Khan, Umair Usman and others were also present on this occasion.

Senior Vice Chairman Usman Ashraf said that it is very gratifying that along with the traditional buyers of Pakistan’s hand woven carpets, buyers from some non-traditional countries are also willing to participate in the international exhibition to be held in Pakistan.

“So far, buyers from 25 countries have expressed interest in participating in the exhibition and after screening, a list of 80 foreign buyers has been compiled. The final list will be drawn up soon after consultation with TDAP and other stakeholders,” he added.

Usman Ashraf said that our effort is to strengthen relations with the buyers of different countries coming to participate in the world exhibition, for which a strategy has been formulated. He further said that it is strongly hoped that there will be massive deals at the World Expo which will not only boost our industry but also earn valuable foreign exchange for Pakistan.

He said that it is our request that the State Bank and other government institutions should eliminate the red tapes that are hindering exports so that arrangements can be made to bring more foreign exchange to the country, which will also provide stability to our economy.

He said that there is an appeal to the government to stop the fluctuations of the dollar on a daily basis and keep it stable at a level so that the exporters do not hesitate while entering into foreign contracts.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023