Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PLGMEA) urged the Commerce Division and Finance Division to formulate a joint strategy for increase in exports in consultation with different sectors.
PLGMEA chairman Syed Shujaat, who gave a detailed presentation to the Prime Minister's Adviser on Commerce, Textile, Industries, Production and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood, said that the country cannot be steered out of economic crisis until the government formulates sectoral policies by taking the concerned industry on board.
He said the leather industry fully extended its support to the incumbent government's endeavours to deal with the current economic crisis for which help has also been sought from friendly countries such as Saudi Arabia, China and UAE. "We are ready to extend all possible cooperation in formulating policies aimed at increasing exports and turning around the country's economy," Shujaat said, adding that the leather sector would fulfil its commitments and would back the government in every possible way in this testing time.
He further said that the association is ready to work on the imperative of boosting exports and introduce ways that can aid in improving the value-added sector of Pakistan. Complementing Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision of job creation in Pakistan, Shujaat also claimed that by 2019 PLGMEA intends to cooperate with the government of Pakistan by creating 20,000 job opportunities.
According to Prime Minister's Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood, there is a need to focus on leather sector which can boost the country's exports. During the meeting, the PLGMEA also presented one of their most significant issues of DLTL and non-payment of funds under this scheme to the leather garments industry, though textile industry was released Rs 2.5 billion.
The adviser acknowledged that leather garments sector has been ignored and promised that he would take up this issue with the Finance Minister Asad Umar. He also promised to arrange meeting of leather sector with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to resolve issues related to customs, rebates, unnecessary letters about income tax and sales tax.
Dawood assured that the import of advanced capital goods such as state-of-the-art machinery and various other technologies would improve quality of leather goods, especially bags and shoes industry. Such a productive meeting was held after a long time, in which different steps came under discussion for ease of doing business in the country, said the PLGMEA chairman.
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