PHSADC plans to achieve $100 million export target

Pakistan Hunting and Sporting Arms Development Company (PHSADC) has initiated measures for the achievement of the 100 million-dollar export target by 2011 through facilitation, support and demonstration of modern techniques. Talking to Business Recorder on Wednesday, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of PHSADC Mohammad Tariq said that the company was established to harness the great potential of exports and employment generation.
He said the company had designed a number of developmental interventions in collaboration with the stakeholders. The provincial metropolis has 27 licensed light arms manufacturing units while more 200 non-licensed units of small and micro-level are operating in the tribal belt.
In first instance, he said the company would promote its know-how, followed by the resolution of its problems. The volume of the international trade of the sector was estimated at 37 billion dollars, he said, adding the United States claimed the huge share of 45 percent with a negligible share of 1.2 million dollars remained with Pakistan.
The potential of the sector in the local market should be judged that 72,000 units of the 7.2 mm guns, produced annually in Peshawar, making a local market of Rs 5.4 million. Similarly, the number of shot-guns, produced in the city, is 5,400 making a business of Rs 810 million per year.
The hunting and sporting guns, manufactured in the city, included single and double barrel shot guns, 7.62 mm hand guns, 9 mm hand gun, semi-automatic shot gun and pump action. Tariq said the company was working for manufacturing the products of the sector to highend of the market, aimed at improvement in the production and bringing it at par with international market.
The sector would also be facilitated in the promotion of export and participation in the international exhibitions, he added. The company was working on the testing of the material used in the manufacturing and designing of the guns, he said, adding the company had also sought the services of the Light Engineering Service Centre, Gujranwala, for bringing improvement in the standard of the products.
Similarly, the company was also going for initiating a series of seminars with the retailers to get first-hand information about their market-related problems, he added. He said the company was also introducing the use of graded iron in the manufacturing of the guns and for this purpose, they were exerting pressure through markets.
The PHSADC had also started work on introducing reverse engineering on test basis and had prepared a data book after involving both public and private sectors during the period of six months, he said. The book comprised 36 parts carrying information about all parts of the hunting and sporting guns.
He the company had planned to establish academia-industry linkage and in collaboration with both public and private sector business universities, was preparing marketing plan competition. The marketing plan would be taken up in the market to promote this sector, he added. He said in the tribal areas of Dara Adam Khel (DAK) and Bara and Khyber Agency were engaged in the gun-crafting, while 2000 persons were directly employed in the 27 licensed guns manufacturing units of Peshawar.