Neglect: MCCI for setting up support industries

Asks government to identify and strengthen sectors having high export potential

MULTAN: The business community of southern Punjab on Monday stressed the need for setting up support industries and improving vendors to enhance the pace of industrialisation in the country.

Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) President Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi, in a statement, said the export sector of the country heavily relies on import of raw materials, especially from China, for value addition and re-export.

“Pakistan has seen many industrialisation phases where industries have been established, but no work has been done to invest in the support industry to complement the existing manufacturing base of the country,” he lamented.

The MCCI president urged the government to encourage foreign and local investments in support industries including accessories of textiles and clothing, printing and packaging, etching and polishing chemicals used in surgical instrument industry and others.

He said the government should adopt measures for setting up Export-Import Bank of Pakistan (Exim) on a priority basis to facilitate the export sector in terms of financing and other related issues.

He underscored the need for identifying and strengthening sectors that had high export potential. “The government should take drastic steps for providing special incentives to encourage exports from different sectors,” he added.

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

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