SIALKOT: The annual total exports from Sialkot city have increased to $2 billion from $1.8 billion, as the Sialkot exporters have achieved another landmark by utilizing their full energies.
Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Maj (r) Mansur Ahmed disclosed this while addressing a meeting of the Sialkot-based exporters held at the chamber’s auditorium on Thursday.
The SCCI president added that the Sialkot exporters had ever remained in the quest for the best. They utilized their energies with full devotion, dedication, determination, enthusiasm with complete peace of mind for enhancing the Sialkot exports and achieve the milestone of increasing the Sialkot exports to the tune of US$ 2 billion annually. He sought proper patronage of the government, trade and export-related incentives for further increase in Sialkot exports.
SCCI President added that there was no doubt to say that the trendy Sialkot exporters had a great potential to explore and capture the international trade markets by exporting their diversified traditional and non-traditional export products.
SCCI President Maj (Rtd) Mansur Ahmed revealed that the exporters of Sialkot are the “Roaming Ambassadors of Pakistan”, who travel all around the world to fetch business and with their personal efforts, the export earnings of Sialkot stand at US $ 2 billion annually, besides, playing a pivotal role in strengthening the national economy and boosting the national exports as well.
He revealed that export-oriented Sialkot city has successfully followed the examples of Japan, Germany, Korea, Taiwan and other countries in development of SME culture in Sialkot, as the Sialkot based SMEs have been producing only exportable items and enjoy special status in the international market for its products. Government and other financial institutions are lending support to the export sector and we are foreseeing growth of exports and development of SMEs at a fast pace in Sialkot.
President Sialkot SCCI Maj (Rtd) Mansur Ahmed narrated that there was no doubt to say Sialkot is an important economic centre and only the export-oriented city of Pakistan where the development of local cottage industries has assumed a model status for the developing world. He said that the thousands of the small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) situated around the Sialkot city were engaged in honouring their global commitments for export of value added quality goods like gloves, musical instruments, martial arts uniforms, cutlery and military badges.
SCCI President said that these entrepreneurs were exporting the highest quality products globally by focusing on the utilization of the full energies. The products standards being of exceptional quality are meant for markets of developed economies not affordable for domestic markets, which are under developed. It is unique for Sialkot that everything produced here is exported. The best cricket and hockey players of the world prefer to use Sialkot-Pakistan made cricket bats and hockey sticks. Most of the developed countries are importing surgical instruments from Sialkot-Pakistan for the re-export purposes under their own brand name. In leather products, textiles and sports wears, the Sialkot competes with other garments, he added.