Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), an apex body of chambers in the country on Sunday expressed grave concern on importing 20,000 tractors, that is causing colossal loss to local industry.
Talking to media, the President, FPCCI, Sultan Ahmad Chawla, demanded of the government for immediate intervention and revoking the decision of importing tractors to save the local industry from collapse besides saving the heavy foreign exchange.
He further said that entire local industry is already undergoing great ordeal of global recession and at this juncture import of tractors is totally unwarranted in the presence of fully developed indigenous industry. Moreover, he said local tractor industry with 93 per cent deletion to manufacture parts, despite heavy taxation, world-wide recession, non-availability of uninterrupted power, gas, water and other allied facilities can cater to the needs of tractors efficiently.
Chawla said that local industry is providing the best possible free of cost after sale service to all users at their doorsteps with the provision of spare parts in the market at affordable prices. He said all governments are providing bail out package to provide oxygen to their own industry to tackle the impact of global recession, which has so far rendered millions of workers jobless besides closure of century old multinational companies worldwide.
Vice President Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Saarc CCI), Pakistan chapter and veteran trade leader Iftikhar Ali Malik, fully endorsing the views of federation chief, said that President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani must honour their commitments made with the business community on several occasions. Moreover, he said that top priority would be given to local industry to boost the industrial production and strengthen the national economy.
He said at this critical juncture, Pakistan which is itself a victim of terror and its fractured economy is already suffering serious setback can never afford wastage of hard earned foreign exchange by irrational import of tractors. He said that the government, instead of wasting foreign exchange, must provide subsidy to local industry and farmers.
He urged the government that stakeholders, in the larger national interests, must always be taken into confidence before taking policy decision. He demanded a high level probe into the scam of tractor import and the unscrupulous element behind this conspiracy be taken to task who are out to harm the local industry just for their commission.