‘Value-addition key to enhancing exports’

FCCI official says NAVTTC should play its role in training manpower in Pakistan

FAISALABAD: Sustained development of Pakistan hinges upon value-addition in industrial as well as agriculture sectors and in this connection the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) should play a key role in training manpower in Pakistan, said Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) Vice President Ahmad Hasan.

Addressing a workshop on Sector Skills Council (SSC) organised by NAVTTC and GIZ, he said that despite being the fourth major cotton producing country, Pakistan was exporting almost 90% in raw or semi-finished items including yarn and grey cloth.

SSC is an autonomous organisation that promotes technical and vocational education in a particular industrial sector.

He said that the government should evolve a comprehensive and long-term strategy for value-addition in the entire chain of cotton.

“In this connection, we must clamp a ban on the export of raw cotton, cotton yarn or grey cloth and instead encourage local textile owners to add value.”

Drawing similarities with other agriculture commodities including wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, milk and meat, he said that the raw material should be used for value-addition and a policy should be framed to facilitate the SME sector and small farmers.

For this purpose, we need highly trained and skilled manpower, he added.

Value-addition will revolutionise the economy of Pakistan and we could easily surpass the estimates of international economic and financial institutions much earlier than their prediction, said Hasan.

The FCCI vice president reiterated the importance of Pakistan’s textile sector, saying that the industry accounted for more than $12 billion exports of the total $21 billion exports in 2015.

However, in recent years, textile exports have shown a declining trend and a major reason for it is the low labour productivity in Pakistan as compared to other countries.

He said that with the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor the demand for skilled labour will further increase.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2017.

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