(Jan 21, 2019)
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 on Monday said that Gujrat is famous for its craft work and cottage industries of various types like Pottery and Ceramic Goods, Furniture and Furnishes, Electrical Goods, Flower Pots, Artistic Handicrafts, Handmade Woolen Shawls, Handmade Woven Jerseys, Sweaters and Overalls. Products manufactured in over 1100 industrial units are highly demanded across the country.
The veteran business leader while talking to the business community said that 8 million fans are manufactured per annum in Pakistan for which almost 300 units are operating in Gujrat alone. Thousands of people are directly benefiting from this industry while approximately 1 lac people are employed in this sector indirectly. Pakistan’s daily fan’s production is 300 – 400 units while China manufactures 45 – 50 thousand units daily. Local production of fans needs to be enhanced in addition to globally accepted testing services, international certification and technology up gradation. New units in this sector will not only curb unemployment but will improve exports and will also strengthen this industry.
Gujrat has an excellent trade potential and its exports can boost significantly, if the issues and challenges faced by its trade industry as highlighted by Gujrat chamber of commerce and industry highlights from time to time need to be resolved on immediate basis. Government is required to immediately consider the recommendations of Gujrat chamber. To meet the skilled labor force requirement of local industry, training and vocational training centers need to be established in the city.
The former minister said Government and influential political figures of the city are required to take measures to help exporters and industrialist in increasing city’s exports. The double railway track project from Lahore to Peshawar would be completed under early harvest projects of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which will bring more convenience in country-wide transportation of industrial and trading products.
There is lot of potential to increase fan exports from Pakistan but to increase its share in the global export market, Pakistan’s exporters must find new markets like Malaysia and South Africa, and diversify into the production of industrial fans and disposable plastic fans to capture the richer consumer markets like the United States and Europe. China has a major market share in this segment.
