'Gems and Jewellery Sector Development Strategy' will be finalised and submitted to the government for approval by January-end. This was informed at a meeting on the gems and jewellery sector, held here with Technology Upgradation and Skill Development Company (Tusdec) Chairman Almas Hyder in the chair.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Tusdec Advisor/Managing Director Suhael Ahmed, Asad-ur-Rehman of Strategic Working Group (SWOG) on Gems and Jewellery sector, Peshawar Gems and Gemmological Institute of Pakistan (GGIP) Chairman Khalid Sultan Khawaja and representatives of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) and consultancy firm, J.E. Austen.
Speaking on this occasion, Almas Hyder assured the participants of the meeting that Tusdec would extend all out help in the development of gems and jewellery sector in the country especially in terms of technology up-gradation and skill development.
He said that establishment of computer-aided designing and manufacturing centers in Peshawar and other towns of the country would be of great benefit to the gems and jewellery sector, as these will produce skilled manpower.
He also talked about other projects initiated by Tusdec for technological up-gradation and skill development in various industrial sectors.
Asad-ur-Rehman of SWOG on gems and jewellery sector said that the strategy being devised by the group with the help of USAID, consultancy agencies and a number of governmental organisations is aimed at enhancing value-addition, with the ultimate aim of increasing exports of polished and processed gemstones and gem-studded jewellery.
For this purpose, the establishment of common facility centers for training and manufacturing and gem identification and certification labs had been planned, he added. "We need support of Tusdec in the accomplishment of these projects," he said. Quoting World Gold Council's statistics, he said that Pakistan with an annual gold consumption of 150 tones, was seventh largest consumer of yellow metal in the world. The chairman, Gems and Gemmological Institute of Pakistan, Khalid Sultan Khawaja, briefed the meeting on the courses being offered by the facility set up jointly by EPB and All Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association (APCEA) of rough and un-polished precious and semi-precious stones.