ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Friday expressed concern over declining exports in the last couple of years and directed the Ministry of Commerce to explore international markets for exporting goods through its representatives posted in Pakistani missions abroad.
The Standing Committee on Commerce, which met under the chairmanship of Siraj Muhammad Khan, discussed the reasons for dropping exports and their solution.
Pakistan’s exports are continuously decreasing since the government took charge, and these came down to $20.8 billion during the previous financial year, 2015-16 from $25 billion in the year, 2013-14.
The trend also continued during the ongoing fiscal year, as the country exported goods worth $8.2 billion during July-November period of the FY2016-17 as against $8.5 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year, showing a decline of four percent.
Expressing concern over the performance of Ministry of Commerce, members of the committee asked it to tackle the situation. They emphasised increase in the exports of textile products to international markets in particular.
The members noted that necessary policies were imperative for export promotion.
