Pakistan must adopt proactive strategy to improve quality

• Pakistan is basically an agriculture country but despite of 72 years of independence.
• Our exports base has been confined to only textile and it is also further confined to the unfinished and semi-finished products.
• The organization of technical sessions and hoped that such events should continue with a regular periodicity to create awareness.

FAISALABAD: Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) President Rana Sikandar-e-Azam Friday said an aggressive and proactive strategy should be adopted in the country to improve the quality of exportable surplus and a close liaison was imperative among export houses and certification and accreditation agencies like SGS.

Addressing a technical session organized by SGS testing laboratories company here, he said "Pakistan is basically an agriculture country but despite of 72 years of independence, our exports base has been confined to only textile and it is also further confined to the unfinished and semi-finished products."

He expressed satisfaction that SGS was providing international certifications to Pakistani products which were globally recognized. "Earlier these certifications were channelized through the other countries", he told and added, "It is a time consuming factor but our exporters have to bear hefty fees in foreign exchange."

He said that although SGS was successfully working in Pakistan for the last many decades but the exporters were unaware of its presence and still sending their samples aboard to get internationally recognized certification.

He said that officials of SGS must cultivate reliable working relationships with local exporters so that both parties could get equal benefits from this already available facility.

He also welcomed the organization of technical sessions and hoped that such events should continue with a regular periodicity to create awareness and develop close liaison between the two sectors.

Amir Saleemi of Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development & Management Company (FIEDMC) said that it has so far established two Industrial Estates while the ground breaking ceremony of the third is expected to be performed during next month.

Regarding Value Added City (VAC), he said that it has been developed in Khurrianwala which is fully colonized and is providing jobs to around 50,000 workers. About M-3 Industrial Estate he told that Rs.1.3 billion FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) has so far been made in it while 13 to 14 foreign industrial units are also operating in it.

He said that more units are in the pipeline and will become functional very soon which would not only create more jobs but also contribute their role in enhancing national exports.

About Allama Iqbal Industrial Estate, he said that it has already been declared special economic zone under CPEC and investors will enjoy the facility of tax holiday for 10 years.

Earlier Ali Akhtar Khan and Qaiser Iqbal of SGS briefed the participants about facilities offered by SGS. They told that earlier they were providing certification for textile products only but now this facility has been extended up to food, oil, chemicals and many other sectors also. He said that their certification is accepted all over the world which is deemed mandatory for exports.

Dr. Tanveer Ahmed Rector NTU, Nuzhat Huma from the Institute of Food Technology UAF and Rehan Naseem Bharara Chairman Faisalabad Garments City also addressed the meeting.

Later, Ali Akhtar Director SGS presented shields to the guests.