The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has demanded of the government to allocate 500-acre piece of land for the establishment of cottage city, as the cottage industry is not only a building block of economic development but also of importance for alleviation of poverty and eradication of unemployment.
The LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh stated this while speaking at a reception arranged by the President All Pakistan Cottage Industry Ghulam Sarwar Malik in honour of newly-elected LCCI office-bearers. LCCI Senior Vice-President Kashif Younas Mehar, Vice-President Ms Saeeda Nazar and former Senior Vice-President Engineer Sohail Lashari were also present on the occasion.
Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that the economic revival of the country would remain a dream until and unless the government redesigns its policies and divert resources towards cottage industry. He said that early establishment of a well-equipped cottage city on the pattern of industrial zones in the country should be made a part of the economic agenda of the government.
The LCCI President cited the example of China, Korea and United States where an equal importance is being given to the small business. They are treated at par with large-scale manufacturing sector. He said that despite having all the resources, the economic downturn being witnessed by the country is an eye-opener for the people sitting at the helm of affairs.
He briefed the participants that the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue is scheduled to Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 22nd of this month and all the tax-related issues being faced the cottage industry would be discussed with him. The Lahore Chamber would also have meeting with the top officials of the Lahore Customs Collectorate so that exporters of cottage-industry products could get maximum facilitation. He said that the entire nation is in a state of unrest because of multiple challenges and a whole approach needs to be adopted to end this unrest. He called for a two-pronged strategy to cope with economic meltdown.
He suggested the government to evolve short-term sector-specific policies to break the economic logjam as it has proved that the long-term policies generally fall prey to political uncertainties. Secondly, he said that government should expedite process of consultation with private sector as the business community is the real stakeholder and no policy should be announced without due consultation with the businessmen.
The cottage and small-scale industries are labour intensive and provide employment to 80 percent of the industrial labour force. This reduces the unemployment and offers opportunities for self-employment. He said that cottage industry also meets the local demands for industrial goods and save foreign exchange. He said that the Lahore Chamber would arrange two single country exhibitions of exportable cottage-industry products every year so that Pakistani merchandise that are best of the best in the world could win their share in the global trade.
Speaking on the occasion, President All Pakistan Cottage Industry Ghulam Sarwar Malik sought the help of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the revival of cottage industry. He said that some well-equipped space in and around Lahore must be allocated by the government for the cottage industry so that the people attached with cottage industry could be able to do their businesses with peace of mind. He said that the Lahore Chamber should play its role to curb the menace of smuggling that is hitting the cottage industry hard. He said that the State Bank of Pakistan should be directed to give interest-free loans to the cottage industry.