LAHORE: Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers
and Exporters Association (PCMEA) has asked the government to focus on image
building in the global market in luring foreign buyers back to Pakistan.
The Ministry of Information and
Culture and Commerce Ministry, by directly involving the handmade carpet
industry, should build soft image of the country abroad with a view to enhance
export, convincing buyers in Europe and United States to seek ‘Made in
Pakistan’ tag on the hand-knotted carpets again.
Former PCMEA chairman and chief
organiser of the Pakistan Handmade Carpet Exhibition 2015 Major (r) Akhtar
Nazir Cooki said that it was encouraging for the exporters to have meeting with
the PM who spent five hours and listened to each and every export-oriented
sector. Latif Malik and Khawaja Shakir were also accompanying him in the
meeting.
He also appreciated Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir and
FPCCI President Mian Adrees for assuring full support for boosting industrial
production, especially promoting handmade carpet export.
“We should arrange maximum exhibitions
in the world to convince the international buyers to import Pakistani handmade
carpets by portraying the soft image of the country. Unfortunately, Pakistan is
presently participating only in two exhibitions including Shanghai Domotex,
China and Hanover Tex, Germany, while rest of the world like America, South
America, Africa and Far East are being totally neglected,” he emphasised.
The participation of Pakistani carpet
industry in tow exhibition has now been made so costly by the TDAP that it is
very difficult to exhibit our products there, said Cooki. “India is our direct
competitor which is giving huge incentives to exporters and exhibitors and
Pakistan should also follow this trend to lift its dropping exports,” he urged.
The government, on the patron of
Handicraft Council of India, should form Pakistan Handicraft Council to promote
export, as the Indian Handicraft Council alone is exporting as much as
Pakistan’s total export is, he urged.
PCMEA Chairman Usman Ghani stressed
the need for convincing foreign buyers, who hesitate to visit Pakistan due to
wrong propaganda, that hand-knotted industry of Pakistan is free from bonded
labour, besides promoting women entrepreneurship in the country.
He said that Pakistani carpet industry,
which is one of the largest environment-friendly sectors, providing jobs to
over 1.5 million people without polluting the atmosphere. The EU countries and
Americas should be informed that carpet sector is also helping improve literacy
rate in the country by establishing schools for workers’ children.
Qamar Zia said that the image building
drive, run by the Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with the
PCMEA, will not only facilitate the foreign entrepreneurs, but also highlight
the soft image of the country. It will accelerate trade and investment, besides
boosting the declining tourism sector.
Pakistan has to make an extra effort
in promoting carpet exports from Pakistan, as the energy crisis, corruption and
terrorism have sent a bad message abroad, he added.
“We provide direct labour to the most under-privileged and
uneducated bottom of 5 percent strata of our society and around 70 percent of
work force of this sector comprises young women who make carpets at home,” he
added.
@post a comment*.
