SIALKOT, July 24 (APP): President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Mansoor Ahmed on Sunday said the SCCI had focused its special attention on enhancing export volume.
Talking to APP, he said that strengthening of national economy had become more imperative at this juncture and business community of Sialkot was ready to play its vibrant role with missionary zeal in this regard.
In this regard, special attention is being paid to strengthen
SME sector, he added.
Sialkot is an export-oriented city and hub of cottage industry
which represents SME sector and playing its significant role not only in providing employment opportunities but also strengthening the national exchequer, he said.
“We are actively considering to arrange foreign tours for
SMEs with the active cooperation of Commerce Ministry and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP),” he added.
The SCCI President further said that the majority of local
SMEs were running their business on self-finance bases adding, that basically unique export culture of Sialkot was based on SME set up and there were very few big industrial units and by virtue this Sialkot is earning US 2 billion dollars through its exports annually.
The step was being taken for the capacity building of SMEs
and enabling them to reduce production cost and to further
improve the quality of their products to cope with the international markets easily, he said. He said that maximum participation of SMEs would be ensured in trade delegations while seminars and workshops would also be arranged for creating awareness among the SMEs about the advancement of international markets.
The SCCI President was of the opinion that technology upgradation, setting up of organized mini industrial estates and common facility cerntres are direly needed in this export-oriented city and hub of cottage industry of the country.
He said these mini industrial areas should be developed in outskirts of Sialkot for providing employment opportunities to industrial workers to their doorstep. The purposed mini estates would not only help in expanding the radius of industrial sector but also supportive in accelerating the pace of productivity, he added.
The SCCI President further stated that vending industry was
an integral part of export industry and this sector should be
accommodated in this proposed mini estate for ensuring all facilities under one roof.
The SCCI, he said, ‘Khud Kifalat Rozgar Trust’ had been initiated through philanthropic business community of Sialkot aimed at well-being of poor and the needy segment of the society. The concept of this project was to provide financial assistance to the people with limited financial resources to help them generate employment or business opportunities
for themselves, he added.
