Increase in traditional exports to African region urged

The share of Pakistani export in overall imports of African countries is hardly 1 percent and we must take immediate steps to enhance it, said Engineer Ahmed Hassan, vice president Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI). Chairing a meeting of FCCI standing committee on Liaison with Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), he said that government through TDAP is making strenuous efforts to increase Pakistani exports. Similarly FCCI is also making efforts to contribute its role in enhancing exports from Faisalabad.
He told that FCCI despite of its limited resources had arranged many foreign delegations providing opportunity to its members to explore the export potentials of various international markets. He observed that China is switching over from labor intensive to high tech industries. This will create a vacuum especially in African markets and Pakistan can easily fill this gap.
He said that this is a new opportunity and government of Pakistan should take the Pakistani exports into confidence to fill this gap. He also pointed out that India has already started activities in this respect and it has created special desks in all Indian embassies working in various African countries. He said that Pakistan should also establish such desks which could explore the available potentiality and suggest to the Pakistani exporters to avail from these opportunity.
He said that FCCI will request government to take immediate notice of this situation so that the Pakistani exporters could fill up this gap. He further suggested that Pakistani exporters could also launch joint ventures in collaboration with Chinese exporters to make a reasonable room for the Pakistani products in the African markets.
Engineer Ahmed Hassan further said that TDAP should review its strategy to give a quantum jump to the export of traditional as well as non-traditional products. He told that the information about various exhibitions and expos organized by TDAP are immediately communicated to the FCCI members. However TDAP should provide space for FCCI pavilion in various exhibitions organize by TDAP at subsidized rates. The meeting was also attended by chairmen of the standing committee engineer Asim and its members.