SMEDA URGED TO SET UP VALUE ADDITION BUREAU IN CO-ORDINATION WITH TDAP

The Financial Daily AND BOL NEWS 23/01/2023
The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has invited the attention of Farhan Aziz Khawaja the new CEO of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to the urgent need of setting up a value addition bureau in co-ordination with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to increase the exports of value added items.
President UNISAME Zuilfikar Thaver said SMEDA is fortunate to have an experienced CEO who has spent sufficient time as the Managing Director of the Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) and knows the worth of value addition.
UNISAME chief said Farhan Khawaja has been entrusted with big responsibilities for promotion and development of the majority SME sector at this crucial times when many SME units are on the verge of closure especially those who are the vendors of the big industries of textiles, automobiles and those dependent on imported raw material, equipment and parts also chemicals, plastics and several others. They are also dependent for packing material.
Thaver said this is the best time for import substitution industries and the government needs to pay heed and infact discuss with CPEC authorities and impress upon them and seek collaborations, transfer of technologies and partnerships with China. They need to renegotiate. Merely exporting raw materials is no big deal. Most of the importing countries are merely interested in raw materials. We need to add value to our produce. In fact we had suggested for establishing a value addition bureau and are on record for having given them list of items for value addition.
We are hopeful that Farhan Aziz the new CEO will impress upon the government to promote value addition earnestly.
UNISAME Council members have also urged Farhan Khawaja and have requested him to impress upon the policy makers to facilitate suppliers credit to enable SME importers to procure and import machinery, equipment and raw materials on suppliers credit, collaboration, profit sharing and joint ventures. They have asked the CEO SMEDA to take the initiative and assured him full co-operation for making it happen on fast track.

Posted in: Press Releases