LAHORE: The Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA) has appealed to the government to resolve the issues related to the Torkham border and said that exports of handmade carpets are being adversely affected due to the non-arrival of semi-finished raw materials from Afghanistan.
“Unfortunately, the government institutions are the cause of the problems instead of the solution; during the foreign visits of the President, the Prime Minister and other high government figures, trade delegations should be taken with them, which will provide wide opportunities to access the global markets.” These views were expressed by association chairman Mian Atiqur Rahman and vice chairman Riaz Ahmed while addressing the weekly review meeting.
On this occasion, patron chief Abdul Latif Malik, chairman of Carpet Training Institute (CTI) Ejazur Rehman, Major Akhtar Nazir (retd), Saeed Khan, Shahid Hasan Sheikh, Saadur Rehman, Faisal Saeed Khan, Mahmood Ahmed, Bilal Ahmed Butt, Ahmed Irfan, Muhammad Jafar Khalid, Qamar Zia, Sheikh Amir Khalid, Usman Rashid, Ali Ahmed and others were also present.
In the meeting, the incomplete statistics of the export deals held in the 40th International Exhibition in Lahore were also discussed.
Mian Atiqur Rehman and Riaz Ahmad said that the dream of a strong economy cannot be realised without increasing exports. They asked why are the sectors that have been earning foreign exchange for the country through exports for decades being neglected. The government should promote consultation with stakeholders so that any policy can achieve hundred percent results, they said.
They said that the handloom carpet industry is facing long-standing problems with regard to Torkham border. For the last three to four months, we are facing immense difficulties in getting semi-finished raw materials from Afghanistan, due to which our exports are badly affected. “If the obstacles remain, it will have negative effects on the export deals in the recently held international exhibition in Lahore. Therefore, the government should intervene and resolve the Torkham border issues immediately,” they added.
They said that the biggest problem at the moment is to promote exports, adding in the current situation we have to go to the world ourselves and find new markets for our products.
“President, Prime Minister and other senior government figures should take short but influential trade delegations with them during their visits and meetings with foreign buyers should be arranged through embassies.
Undoubtedly, Pakistani embassies are playing their best role, but they should also be given a role to promote exports, commercial attachés should compile data on foreign buyers and brief them about Pakistani products,” they concluded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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