FPCCI accused of manipulating awards ceremony for exporters as exports declining
ISLAMABAD: Patron Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders Shahid Rasheed Butt has alleged that the award ceremony organised for exporters every year by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) is just a deception.
He questioned that how the chamber can award hundreds of businessmen for best performance in the export sector when Pakistan’s exports are stagnant since years and a great fall has been witnessed in the first nine months of the current fiscal.
Shahid Rasheed said that the export awards has nothing to do with the merit, it is just a photo session with top government functionaries for which businessmen pay hefty amount to the organisers. He said that such celebrations help chambers to collect millions of rupees which are generally misused by the ruling group of the trade body. He asked to political leaders to ignore such functions unless the private sector improves export performance.
The veteran business leader said that in the first nine months of the current fiscal the non-textile exports stood at $7.72 billion which were $8.70 billion in 2013-14. Similarly, he said, the textile exports dipped by 5.99 percent to $17.93 despite the facility of GSP and Pakistan being fifth largest producer of cotton.
