UNISAME URGES SURVEY OF SMEs AREA WISE & INDUSTRY WISE

The Union of Small and medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has invited the attention of the federal minister planning ,development and reforms (PD&R) Prof Ahasan Iqbal to the unavailability of the correct figures of the size and area wise and industry wise figures of the small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and farmers and urged him to make arrangements for a survey followed by registration for facilitating the small but majority sector.
President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said in 2007 the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) informed the stakeholders that there are 3.2 million SMES but it is estimated that currently with the inclusion of the SME farmers and agricultural produce processing industries the figures have almost doubled. There is urgent need for a survey because all SME promotion and development work demands that the estimated figures are nearest to accurate.
He said surely the PD&R ministry needs the correct figures for policy making for the sector which is declared as the backbone of the economy, the engine of growth, the vehicle for self employment and the back forte of the large sector.
Thaver said policy making demands that a thorough study is made industry wise and area wise as the requirements of each sector is specific as the issues of the textile sector are different from the edible food sector and likewise the issues of the engineering sector are different from the others. However he stressed the need for strengthening SMEDA to enable it efficiently do more for all the sectors and urged the PD&R to facilitate SMEDA with more personnel and funds and enhance the scope of the authority to reach the SMEs all over the country.
He said the SMEs are into manufacturing, trading , services and farming and each of these has impediments which need to be studied in policy making.
The requirements of the sector are finance at affordable mark up with repayment on easy installments.The banking, leasing, insurance and logistics facilities have to be improved on modern lines.
The sector needs the facility and concessions for installing alternate energy devises.
Conducive environment is the key to growth and the PD&R needs to focus on this issue on priority basis.
Other important requirements are uninterrupted supply of raw materials, incentives,transfer of technology , information technology, marketing support, logistics support, land at concession in industrial estates and economic zones with payment facilities.
UNISAME has reiterated the need for SME chamber, export house, credit guarantee insurance, ombudsman and above all the prompt establishment of exim bank and SME specific bank.
It is very important that modern financing concepts like venture capital, warehouse financing, commercial property leasing, mortgage financing house and collateral management companies are established and urged the PD&R ministry youth development fellow Kaleem Ahmad to table these important promotional tools at the “Round Table Conference for SME Growth” scheduled for 29th April 2014 at the ministry of PD&R under the chairmanship of the Prof Ahsan Iqbal
The UNISAME chief said we are inspired by the business friendly government of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and are fortunate to have Prof Ahsan Iqbal federal minister PD&R and Khurram Dastagir federal commerce minister who are very receptive to our suggestions and keen to resolve the issues of the sector.

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