Business community engaged with pottery industry has appealed to the government to take immediate steps for the survival and to bring pottery industry of Pasrur out of multifarious problems.
Pasrur Tehsil of Sialkot district, famous for producing pottery is breath its last as many units have been closed due to lack of incentives, government support and unresolved problems being faced by the industry since long. The tehsil is eminent for producing clay made cooking pots like "handya" (cauldron), which is still being used for cooking special and tasty dishes in both urban and rural areas of the country.
According to a survey conducted by Business Recorder in Pasrur the pottery industry despite being famous and hundreds of year old industry of the area its advancement and growth has remained stagnant due to apathy of concerned departments.
The owners of the small potteries are confronting serious problems as a result they were considering closing their units. It was observed that there was a great need of establishment of "Mini Industrial Estate" in this historic Pasrur and provision of all basic facilities under one roof should be ensured to the local businessmen engaged with various industries.
Besides, special steps should also be taken for moulding the pottery industry on modern and scientific lines because at present most of the small pottery units are working with the traditional techniques. Most of the potteries were functioning on roadsides and producing the cooking utensils and decoration pieces with great skill and dexterity.
The people connected with this industry are of the view that there is a great need of conducting survey to ascertain the needs and requirements of industry. The concerned government departments should formulate a special programme for the development of this old industry and under the programme soft loan facilities should be given to small businessmen enabling them to modernise their workplaces as well as bringing them out of economic crisis they added.
They said that the timely action of the Punjab government would not only prevent the pottery and other industries functioning in remote rural and backward areas but also help in modernisation of the industries as well as improve the economic conditions of the artisans.
The business community engaged with pottery industry is fully capable to improve the standard and quality of its pottery manufacturing in accordance with the international standard and despite serious hurdles and hardships pottery industry is fulfilling the domestic demands by using traditional techniques.
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