LAHORE: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Nauman Kabir has said a little attention could enable Pakistan coating industry to earn huge foreign exchange for the national exchequer.
He appealed the government to remove hurdles impeding the coating industry. The Pakistan Coating Association pointed out the hurdles and export potential of the sector. They said this sector currently earns $100 million from exports. They said if the industry was made part of Pakistan’s export-oriented sectors and given similar incentives, exports of this sector could be increased to $1 billion.
The association further apprised that chlorine-based solvents like chloroform, methylene chloride, ethylene dichloride and propylene dichloride were imported in massive quantities at zero percent custom duty, primarily for the manufacturing of adhesives. The exposure to these solvents causes adverse health impact and a great threat to the environment. They said that ban should be imposed on these solvents.
Further, the coating industry was facing hurdles for the import of solvent by Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and Narcotics Control Board, which should be removed. The PCA said the cumulative value of exports refunds of the industry was around Rs1.5 billion for the past three years from 2016 to 2019. These refunds should be paid immediately.