Sialkot contributes $3b to exchequer: SCCI
The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) senior vice president Sheikh Zohaib Rafique Sethi said on Sunday that Sialkot was an important economic hub from where 99 percent of products were exported to various parts of the globe.
He said that currently, around 20,000 active member firms were registered with the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI).
He said the district was contributing over three billion dollars yearly to the national exchequer through exports and was playing a pivotal role in promoting business and trade activities in the region.
He said that Sialkot exporters were the "roaming ambassadors of Pakistan", which were not only travelling for fetching the highly valuable foreign exchange for the country but also making efforts to introduce Pakistan through their products.
Sheikh Zohaib Rafique Sethi said thousands of small- and medium-sized industries were functioning in and around Sialkot and were globally known for their quality products, unique export culture and for manufacturing value-added goods like leather products, sports goods, surgical instruments, gloves of all sorts, textile items, sports wear, martial arts uniforms and accessories, musical instruments, etc.
He said that Sialkot-made footballs, field hockey sticks, cricket gear and boxing gloves were used in international games including the Olympics and World Cups.
Surgical and sports goods industries were the oldest industries which were playing tremendous role not only in strengthening the national economy but also in providing employment opportunities to hundreds of industrial workers.
The SCCI SVP said that Sialkot exporters had set unique examples of self-help by completing several mega-projects.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 8th, 2022.