OPEN LETTER TO PM TO SAVE SME UNITS FROM CLOSURE

The Union of Small and Medium enterprises (UNISAME) has sent open letter to prime minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to take prompt steps to save the SME units of textiles, rice, foodstuffs and light engineering from closure.
President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver invited the attention of the PM to the difficulties faced by the sector and urged him to take high impact steps to stimulate the dying SME units and revive them to meet the challenges.
The Union has expressed the need for lowering rates of electricity to reduce cost of production and secondly demanded low cost finance for alternate energy.
The Union requested the PM not to increase fuel prices and to in fact reduce them as transportation has become very costly. The other very urgent and important requirements are affordable bridge finance, low insurance premium,reduction in import duties on raw materials and last but not the least is marketing support.
There is no marketing support for the SME sector and the small to medium sized entrepreneurs have no platform which can introduce them to the international markets. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) caters to the big industrialist and big exporters and has no specific agenda for the SMEs.
The Union has reminded the PM that time is short for his government and he needs to take bold and immediate steps for serious remedies for the sector. The rice units have closed down and also the textile sector is n turmoil. Both these are foreign exchange earners for the country. The light engineering sector has vast scope for growth and up gradation and needs technical support.
Thaver said the SME sector expects encouragement, support and facilitation from the business friendly government of PML and firmly believes that it can contribute towards economic growth if the government reduces taxes, duties and offers low mark up for sectors which have high potential for growth.
Thaver urged the PM to do brainstorming with UNISAME, Pervaiz Malik federal commerce minister and Murtuza Jatoi federal minister for industries and chairman of the Small and Medium Development Authority (SMEDA) for fast track revival of the SME sector on modern lines.

Posted in: Press Releases