STP INSISTS ON REGISTRATION AS EXPORTER AND NOT MEMBERSHIP OF ASSOCIATION

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged Kashif ur Rahman the Secretary General (SG) of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) not to misinterpret the Strategic Trade Policy (STP) 2012 – 2015 and understand the correct meaning and definition of the word registration and not to misinterpret it as membership as the definition and meaning of the word membership and registration are distinctively different.

President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said the SG should refer to the dictionary meaning of the two words and he would immediately understand the objective of the STP. and what the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) is aiming at. Membership of an association entails rights of voting and other rights whereas registration is for the purpose of record. For this reason the STP adds in the mandatory registration clause that if the association does not exist than the registration is mandatory with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). Besides the mandatory membership condition was removed on 23rd April 2012 and the STP was announced on 30th January 2013. The question is why REAP did not inform its members that the mandatory condition was removed in April 2012. The STP came 9 months after the removal but REAP did not obey the notification and continued claiming that its membership was mandatory.

Thaver said the STP is using and meaning the word ” Registration” and not ” Membership “. REAP is misinterpreting and misusing the word registration to mean membership to save itself from the violation and action for misguiding its members.
REAP is trying to create confusion and deliberately misinterpreting it to cover the two years of violation by REAP & Quality Review Committee (QRC) as QRC always insisted on REAP membership and promoted REAP at the behest of REAP and in the bargain all rice exporters were compelled to become members.

Thaver however requested REAP SG to immediately start registering rice exporters who simply wish to register themselves as exporters with REAP as the Assistant Chief (Export) MOC has clarified the matter that the mandatory membership was removed by the MOC on 23rd April 2012 and surely the ministry knows better than REAP as to why it removed the mandatory memberships condition. REAP is demanding Rs 25000 from new SME entrants who wish to export rice and instead of simply registering them is compelling them to become members which is a violation and offense.

The law division has also given the green signal to MOC to close the QRC and it is believed that the law division has stated that it has no objection to the closure of QRC and MOC is likely to issue the notification for its dissolution in a couple of days.

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