STPF 2015-18: Country unlikely to achieve $27 billion export target: Sarhadi

20 Apr, 2016

Chairman, KPCCI Standing Committee on Railways and Dry Port, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhad has expressed apprehensions regarding the achievement of the export target of the country for current financial year. In his comments on the Strategic Trade Policy Framework 2015-18, he said that the Pakistan is far away from the achievement of the export target of US 27 billion dollars for the year and so far has exported goods worth US 16 billion dollars only during eight months of the current financial year.
He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved the STPF under which export target reaching to US 35 billion dollars within next three years. Sarhadi said that though the government has fixed export targets, but during last two consecutive financial years it had miserably failed in the achievement of the fixed targets as it is lacking clear roadmap.
Sarhadi, who is also President, Frontier Customs Agents Group (FCAG), Vice Chairman, FPCCI Standing Committee on Customs Agents and Vice Chairman, All Pakistan Customs Agents Association said that specific feature of the concerned trade policy is the formation of a trade company headed by the Minister for Commerce, which has been tasked for the monitoring of the implementation of Strategy Trade Policy Framework.
The monitoring committee will review issues relating to the promotion of trade and will work for stability in international competitiveness. He said that after assuming power, the team led Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif fixed export target of $26 billion for the year 2013-14. However, according to official statistics it could reach to only $24 billion.
Similarly, the financial year 2014-15 also proved no different and now in chasing of the target of $27 billion, it had reached to only $24 billion and during the first two months of the third quarters it had exported goods valuing about $4 billion, which showing the achievement of the export target for the current financial year impossible.

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