KARACHI: Research and Policy Division of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) organized an interactive session on Draft National SME Policy here at the Federation House.
FPCCI Capital Office in Islamabad and Regional Office Lahore were also linked through video conferencing, said a FPCCI statement on Thursday.
The session was presided over by President FPCCI, Engr. Daroo Khan Achakzai and attended by Senior Vice President Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Vice Presidents Arshad Jamal, Qurban Ali, Abdul Rauf Mukhtar, Shireen Arshad, Ijaz Abbasi and Engr. M. A. Jabbar Convener FPCCI Standing Committee on Research and Development; Convener FPCCI Standing Committee on SMEs, Rehmatullah Javed, Convener FPCCI Standing Committee on SMEs Financing, Arjumand Qazi.
FPCCI President Engr.
Daroo Khan Achakzai highlighted the issues of small and medium enterprises including access to finance, high cost of doing business, low value addition, technological advancement, complicated tax system. He also shared the success stories of Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China regarding SMEs.
He recommended for easy and favorable discounted rate access of finance to SMEs, establishment of SMEs zones and clusters.
Convener FPCCI Standing Committee on R and D, Engr M. A. Jabbar, on the invitation of President FPCCI, made a detailed presentation on draft National SME Policy and also deliberated the circumstances surrounding the whole issue from the beginning of inception of SME policy and its support by public sector from way back 2007.
He suggested the draft policy on SMEs required to be thoroughly analyzed as to its working implementation tools in view of present existing difficult coordination amongst Federal Ministries and even between federation and provinces.
He said the broad domain of support is available since 18thamendment and now the advocacy and the implementation may involve dual supports from federation and provinces.
Some of the issues related to exclusivity of federal government, while some had been devolved.
Therefore, he said, now there existed strong base for advocacy to improve the business environment for SMEs to reduce some of the adverse impacts on the economy by increasing the share in the economy through increased participation supported by public sector.
During the session, the participants discussed in details the contents of Draft National SMEs Policy and suggested the government to provide business conducive environment with simplification of registration process and favorable trade and tax policy.
The participants also urged the government to have safeguards during the post privatization of SME Bank to have the due role of the bank in affecting the progress of SMEs.
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