SIALKOT: President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Major(R) Mansoor Ahmed has stressed the need for establishing well organized mini industrial areas to cater to the needs of small, medium and micro level industry of the area.
In an interview with APP on Wednesday, he said the mini industrial areas would provide employment opportunities to workers and help expand the radius of industrial sectors.
The SCCI President stated that vending industry was an integral part of export industry and it must be accommodated in the mini estates for providing all facilities under one roof. He pointed out that there is only one small industrial estate in Sialkot.
To a question Mansoor said, "We are focusing on reducing the production cost of products, and obtaining modern technology for this purpose", adding that more common facility centres would be established with the active support of Commerce Ministry and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to facilitate the SMEs of the area.
The SCCI President further stated that business community of this export-oriented city and hub of cottage industry was confronting serious problems due to shortage skilled workforce.
He disclosed that major industries of the city were actively considering setting up classrooms in factories for providing education and technical training to students. He said students could get education upto Matric and technical training inside the factories.
"The step would be taken to cope with the shortage of skilled workers and hopefully this step would help in overcoming the problem", he said.
Mansoor suggested that industrial machinery be made tax free,thus enabling the business community to modernize the workplaces and cope with modern industrial challenges.
He highlighted that 99 percent products produced in Sialkot were exported to different countries and quality/standard of these products can compete with any international brands in the world market. "Despite certain problems and constrains the business community of the area was making strenuous efforts for enhancing the trade volume and boost export industry", he said.
SCCI president said Sialkot was contributing US 2 billion dollars annually to the national exchequer through exports. "We are making adequate efforts for modernizing industrial sector of the area to compete with international markets effectively", he said.
However, he said the cost of production had increased due to higher electricity and gas tariffs and exporters were facing hard competition in the global market.
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