The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) is planning to organise Made in Sialkot exhibition likely in third week of April in Islamabad, said SCCI President Dr Nouman Idris Butt.
Talking to Business Recorder here on Saturday, he said that the proposed exhibition would cover almost all industries of Sialkot. The concept of organising this exhibition in Islamabad was to provide an opportunity to the foreign diplomats to observe the products being produced in Sialkot, which was the hub of cottage industry of the country, Dr Nouman said.
The SCCI president said that high commissioners and ambassadors of various countries were frequently visiting this chamber and during their stay, and added they also paid a visit to some of the selected local firms for ascertaining the skill and craftsmanship of the manufacturers.
It was quite difficult for the SCCI to arrange their visit to all local manufacturing and exporting firms of Sialkot, he added. Dr Nouman said 'Made in Sialkot' industrial exhibition would play an instrumental role in creating awareness among the foreign diplomats to assess the capability, skill and quality of products being produced in Sialkot.
The industrial set up of Sialkot was totally SME-based and small and medium industries were earning foreign exchange to tune of 800 million dollars annually, he said.
He said that about 99 percent items produced in the area were being exported to different parts of the world. The city was famous for export of value-added quality goods like sports goods, surgical instruments, leather goods, gloves and musical instruments etc, he added.
He said that exporters recognised the importance of compliance to quality and environment standards, which had become mandatory factor for selling the products to foreign buyers.
Sialkot contributes major share of the total ISO-9000 certified companies in the country, which indicated how the local exporters and manufacturers were quality conscious, he added.
Dr Nouman said that business community had pledged to double the export volume, and expressed the hope the functioning of Sialkot International Airport would play a pivotal role.