LAHORE (January 12 2010): The newly established Gujranwala Business Centre (GBC) at a cost of Rs 148.78 million is going to host first exhibition of the products "Made in Gujranwala" on Tuesday (today). The GBC was a project recently completed by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) in collaboration with the Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).

The Gujranwala Chamber contributed by providing land worth Rs 50 million. The rest of cost amounting to Rs 98.78 million was met by federal government out of the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) fund. The funds were released through Smeda, who played the basic role on behalf of government in completion of the center under private-public partnership.

The Smeda Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shahid Rashid would inaugurate the exhibition, which would also be attended by the Authority's high ups and office bearers of the Gujranwala Chamber. The Smeda Deputy General Manager Liaqat Ali Gohar told Business Recorder that the formal inauguration of the business centre has to take place in near future but just to make the centre in operational form, an exhibition has been arranged to highlight 'Made in Gujranwala' products. The manufacturers would put their exportable goods on display at the exhibition, which would continue for two months.

The basic objective of the exhibition is to highlight the quality and standard of the products manufactured in the city and thus exporters from across the country besides foreign diplomats are also being invited to attend the exhibition, he said. Gohar said that the Centre has been established with the aim to provide a promotional and shared display facility for the products produced by Gujranwala Industry, especially, that of small and medium entrepreneurs. He said the centre has the capacity of 130 stalls of 10'X10' size which have been made available to the manufacturers of Gujranwala to present and promote their products both locally and internationally. All the floors are air-conditioned with continuous electric supply. Stalls from various potential industrial sectors including ceramics, sanitary fittings, electric equipment, furniture, hosiery, textile, home appliances, construction, cutlery, utensils, engineering and agricultural equipment would be placed on display in the exhibition.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2010