Leather industry faces problem: Cabinet not in favour of live animals' export

Chairman Trade Development Authority Tariq Iqbal Puri has said that they had raised the issue of export of live animals in the cabinet as due to export of live animals leather industry was facing problems. He was addressing the press conference along with Director General TDAP Lahore Irfan Tarrar on Saturday.
Puri said that Pakistan has the huge potential of exports of meat. We should focus on the export of meat rather than exporting live animals. He also said that we have no dearth of animals in the country adding that we should take steps to control the smuggling of live animals from our country.
About giving the status of Most Favourite Nation (MFN) to India Puri said that India had given us the MFN status but they had imposed Non-Tarrif Barriers on Pakistani exports. He said that in the second round of talks with India, which will be held soon we will raise the issue of NTF with them and told them that we will not consider them of giving MFN status unless they will remove NTF's for Pakistani exporters.
Puri said that by the end of this current fiscal year 2010-2011 our export could reach 25 billion dollars and import will be around 36 billion dollars and our trade deficit will be around 10 billion dollars adding that our trade deficit is decreasing.
Other than increase in value, there have been major increase in terms of quantity of products if we compare it with the period of July-April FY 2010-2011. He briefed the press that preparation for holding 6th expo-exhibition at Karachi from 20-23 October 2011 is in full swing and this year a special pavilion will be allotted for Chinese products especially, Chinese engineering products, which will be helpful in the value-added sector of our country.
TDAP has declared China as the focus country for its trade initiatives in 2011-2012 and plans to participate in more than 20 fairs in China as part of Pakistan-China 60 years of establishment of diplomatic relations and recently held at first successful business forum in Kunming, China.
The Japanese government has recently lifted ban on the import of Pakistani mangoes and TDAP is encouraging consultants for setting up of VHT plants at Karachi and Multan to take full advantage of market access opportunities made available due to the lifting of ban.
However, a trial shipment is being processed through a pilot VHT plant, which has already been established near the Karachi Airport which is expected to be functional in the next month, which has the capacity of processing 60kg mangoes per day. On Web portal, he informed that TDAP is facilitating all communities including the domestic and international users via its interactive Web-portal by providing an online platform for queries and registration.
TDAP strongly recommends every exporter to get register with TDAP on its online platform of web-portal so they can get access to the International Trade Leads and special inclusion in the prominent list for international dissemination system of TDAP for up coming events like Expo Pakistan 2011 and other related information.