Govt urged to release funds for leather sector’s uplift

[Salman]

Govt urged to release funds for leather sector’s uplift


KARACHI: The government should release Rs 200 million funds for National Institute of Leather Technology (NILT) to run its affairs besides to extend support for the Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CEPT), an exclusive project for water treatment in Korangi, Karachi.

Pakistan Tanners’ Association (PTA) said financial stringencies were discussed during a meeting with Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). TDAP Chief Executive Tariq Puri assured to take up these matters with the Ministry of Commerce besides to get necessary funds from the ministry concerned for CETP project.

The leather industry is presently in a deep financial turmoil, resultantly all the educational activities in NILT are suffering to a severe extent, for which proposal for the grant of Rs 200 million is pending for the approval to be made in Export Development Board (EDF), which is awaited.

PTA Chairman S M Naseem said, “We are making efforts for the promotion of country’s exports under the prevailing business climate domestically and internationally.”

PTA is organising the biggest ‘National Pavilion’ in financial collaboration with the TDAP in Materials, Manufacturing and Technology (MM&T) Section of Asia Pacific Leather Fair being held from March 28-30, 2012 in Hong Kong. MM&T is the annual, premier event of the global leather industry. It includes participation from southern China and increasingly from the fast growing economies of India and south Asia. The trade fair covers everything from raw hides, semi and finished leathers, tanning machinery, chemicals and dyes.

The most profound change has been the integration of leather into the wider fashion industry. Today, MM&T carries comprehensive details of forthcoming seasonal colours, finishes and designs. The government should extend support to the second biggest export oriented value-added industry, said former PTA chairman Agha Saiddain.

The government earlier refused to provide funds for the purpose of running the NILT at Korangi. The government should provide funds to the leather sector as it provides textile industry to improve and enhance the output capacity of the industrial units across the country.

A draft of Technology Upgradation Fund (TUF) has been sent to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for circulation for upgradation of existing small and large textile units in the country. Such initiatives should also be provided to PTA members in order to take maximum benefits from the World Trade Organisation trade concession from European Union by increasing domestic production and increasing the exports. EDF, headed by the commerce minister should take notice of the situation. The government had agreed to provide Rs 4 million to run NILT, in order to train and develop human resource to bolster the dwindling leather sector owing to high production cost and rising competition with China, Turkey and South Korea, he added. PTA assured to extend all maximum cooperation to make the participation of PTA’s members a real success and try to cut the three-year participation condition.