Speaking at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday, Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asseri made the unpleasant but unsurprising observation that some Pakistani exporters are distorting the country's image in Saudi Arabia by sending substandard goods as well as manpower carrying fake documents.
To prove his point, he cited two recent examples, one of rice shipments and the other concerning manpower.
Upon checking at the Saudi laboratories the rice was found to be far below the acceptable standard and, hence, had to be rejected while a majority of some 250 people who had arrived to work as drivers had brought in fake licences.
Malpractices such as these, needless to say, cast the entire export sector in a bad light, ruining the chances of enhanced export.
In fact, the Ambassador was all praise for the high quality edibles produced in this country, especially fruits such as mangoes, apples and grapes, and advised the ICCI to introduce these in the Saudi market. But if the image associated with Pakistani exports is not corrected soon, it may not be possible for those interested to grab a sizeable share in that market.
Regrettably, for a country like Pakistan, which gets the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings from manpower export, there is no labour certification system in place.
We may have some of the best plumbers, carpenters and motor mechanics but since there is no way of checking their expertise, those who get work permits to go abroad do not always have the necessary qualifications.
Some may like to point out that there exists a licensing requirement for vehicle drivers, and yet it is possible for many to obtain the licence without undergoing the necessary training - which fact is sufficiently proven by the example Ambassador Asseri gave - and hence certification will not make a major difference.
True, it would still be possible for unscrupulous individuals to give and receive fake certificates, but it is also true that wherever there is any such legal requirement most people do try to fulfill it.
Alongside instituting a proper labour certification system the government must also pay serious attention to the need of setting up vocational training centres.
It goes without saying that a duly trained workforce is the mainstay of industrial development. We need systematically trained workers as much to enhance production at home as to enable them to earn a good living abroad.
So far as the issue of rice export is concerned, it may be recalled that at one time Pakistani Basmati dominated most of the Gulf states' markets. Gradually, it was pushed aside by the Indian exporters partly because they were better organised and partly because they were able to win the trust of the buyers by observing the necessary quality standards.
What can give one an idea of how much they have gained and we have lost in terms of our business reputation is the fact that the Dubai-based Indian dealers package good quality Pakistan rice under their own names to sell in various international markets.
So, while they make large profits selling our produce we get a bad name for marketing substandard rice and other commodities.
It is about time the government did something about the damage that the black sheep among the exporters cause to the country's name as well as to the much touted official goal of creating an exports-led economic growth.
The Ministry of Commerce must take a serious notice of what the Ambassador of a brotherly country like Saudi Arabia had to say at ICCI.
If the ministry finds it difficult to check the unscrupulous elements on its own, the government should consider instituting international inspections so that the honest and hard working people in the export field do not get penalised for the wrongdoing of others.
Comments
Comments are closed.