April 27, 2016
President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), President AKIA, Senior Vice Chairman of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain expressed concern over falling exports of leather gloves to European Union.
The export of gloves fell fifteen percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal as compare to the last year which indicate apathy of export managers, he said.
Talking to a delegation of glove manufacturers, Mian Zahid Hussain said that leather gloves and other exporters are paying Export Development Fund (EDF) but they are getting nothing in return. The responsible of Export Development are busy in celebrating birthdays and the manufacturers and exporters, especially from SME sector, have been left helpless.
He said that there is no facility of CE marking in country which is mandatory conformity marking for certain products sold within the European Economic Area (EEA) since 1985.
Pakistani exporters have no option but to contact certification facilities located in other countries which increase cost of doing business.
He said that EDF fund should not be used for useless foreign trips, buy loyalties and conducting expos but should be utilized to establish various certification labs within Pakistan which will reduce cost and time of exporters.
A training institute should also be established to impart quality training to the workforce, improve designing and innovation which will nurture this sector, improve exports and enhance collections.
Government should give proper incentives to non-traditional export sectors, he demanded.
