Unisame urges early implementation of SME Policy 2021

KARACHI: The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) has urged for early implementation of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Policy 2021, a statement said on Wednesday.

The Unisame president Zulfikar Thaver has stressed the need for implementation of the Policy, saying that it envisages rapid SME export promotion, modernisation and upgradation of SME units.

Thaver said, “The increase in exports is indeed commendable but we still need to increase our exports more. The idea of adviser to the prime minister on commerce Razak Dawood, for creating export culture is excellent but needs to be put into action earnestly.”

There is an urgent need to set up an SME export promotion bureau to exhibit the goods manufactured by SMEs and set up an SME gallery for global exposure. The SMEs are the ones who can play an important role and add value to produce for exports.

Exports and imports are indeed two sides of the same coin. Imports of raw materials are very necessary and uninterrupted supplies are a must, Thaver said, while expressing serious concern on imposing 17 per cent general sales tax on solar equipment.

It is very unwise of the finance ministry to even think of this at a time when the country is facing an energy crisis, the need of the hour is to manufacture solar panels in Pakistan and to promote solar equipment manufacturing in collaboration with Chinese under joint ventures.

An exporter of commodities Zeeshan Nazim said that we need to increase our exports by promoting our geographical indication (GI) items and those which are banned unnecessarily by the government but exported by other countries like China, India and Turkey in big quantities.

“We have to allow exports of jaggery (Gurr), white food grade poppy seeds (Khashkhash). Gurr is exported by India and China and Khashkhash is exported by Turkey, while Pakistan is losing business because of the ban on export of these items,” he said.

An SME facilitator Hussain Ali Ratnani said that Pakistan needs to reduce imports of luxury goods and non-essential items. The trading community is importing food stuff although, good quality stuff is made in Pakistan.

The car importers are also importing luxury cars, saying that it would be beneficial if the commercial importers are encouraged to import machinery and raw materials for the industrialists instead.

The Unisame Council stated that it is high time the government takes serious note to curb and discourage imports of goods of international standard made in Pakistan by imposing heavy duty on them. The government also needs to give incentives for import substitution industries.

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