FCCI for special export desk in PM

Secretariat: A special export desk should be created in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat for effective monitoring of exports in addition to redressing day-to-day issues being faced by this foreign-exchange earning and labour intensive sector of the country.

Chairing a special meeting to finalise recommendation for task force on textiles, FCCI president Syed Alamdar Hussain said that increase in exports and decrease in imports was a major challenge to stabilise the economy on sustained basis. He said that first of all we must concentrate on projecting soft image of Pakistan.

“This task should not be left over to the government alone as every individual must contribute its role to highlight the peaceful image of the motherland,” he said.

He said that the time had come that we should adopt a proactive strategy to convince other countries to withdraw travel advisories as Pakistan was now a safe destination for foreigners. He said that Pakistani embassies and high commissions in different countries should also project the concept of a peaceful and rising Pakistan in order to convince maximum foreign buyers.

He said that Pakistan should select only 20 major exhibitions with aggressive marketing and techniques instead of participating in 200 to 250 exhibitions across the globe. This would help Pakistan to target only the potential markets instead of wasting precious time and hard earned money of the exporters.

The ministry of commerce and commercial attaché must clearly and explicitly communicate the list of leading brands and major retail stores along with their basic data so that meeting of Pakistani exhibitors could also be arranged with the potential buyers, he added.

He said that the federal commerce minister should also participate in the exhibitions and had detailed meetings with the chief executives of the major international brands and retail stores in order to cultivate good working relations.

He further told that the government had announced special incentives for five major export sectors, including textile. These incentives must be uploaded on social media in order to convince the buyers, he added.