LAHORE: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Regional Chairman and Vice President Zaki Aijaz has demanded the government grant industry status to the packaging sector.
He expressed these views while addressing the FPCCI’s Round Table Discussion on the ‘Packaging sector: ‘Challenges and opportunities’, here at FPCCI Regional Office. Managing Director and CEO of Packages Limited, Syed Hyder Ali, Director & CEO of Century Paper & Board Mills Limited Aftab Ahmed, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Vice President Adnan Khalid Butt, Chairman Pakistan Association of Printing And Graphic Arts Industry Saad Haleem Khan, Senior Vice Chairman of All Pakistan Corrugated Cartons Manufacturers Association (APCCMA) Khawaja Tariq Mehmood, Chairman of Flexible Packaging-Association of Converters of Pakistan Mujahid Ali Shaikh, CEO of Roshan Packages Limited Tayyab Aijaz Qureshi, Aslam Mehdi, Imran Aziz and others participated in the discussion, and put forth their suggestions for promotion of packaging sector, exports and substitutes of imports.
Zaki Aijaz said that packaging sector was the backbone of all industries and the government should grant industry status to it in order to reap maximum benefits. He said that stakeholders should be included in the committee formed by the federal government on the packaging sector. The packaging sector should be included in the essential category. Printed books are being imported on zero-rated; they should be shut down immediately. The equivalent duty structure within the raw material and finished goods should be made clear to protect the local industry.
The FPCCI regional chairman said quality standards should be determined for the packaging sector, besides focusing the research and development, preparation of skilled labour through the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) and the National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NVTTC). Stakeholders should also be taken on board to ensure sustainability in relevant policies and strategies, while the sales tax be brought to a single digit and valuation of all sectors should be done quarterly, he suggested.
