A national export training programme was organised by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) on Monday, during which Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (HCCI) President Adeel Ahmed Siddiqui said that foreign remittances in Pakistan stood at $22 billion.
He said businessmen were hitting $26 billion exports mark despite facing issues of energy and water crisis, adding that collective efforts were needed to increase Pakistan’s exports volume.
Siddiqui vowed that close liaison with TDAP would be ensured in order to increase the export volume as best as possible. He said that Hyderabad’s business community had helped the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) meet the Rs7.1 trillion tax target in 2022-23, and now the target of Rs9 trillion would be achieved with the same zeal.
He also said that businessmen were investing their money after earning them here. He maintained that TDAP needed to work hard because it remained the only body that could help Pakistan achieve increased exports.
He further said that the HCCI would collaborate with TDAP in order to showcase Hyderabad’s products on TDAP’s website for increasing business activities.
TDAP Deputy Manager Afshan Urooj said on the occasion that Pakistan and Bangladesh were on a par in 2018 as far as exports were concerned, which stood at $2 billion.
Afshan said that small and medium enterprises were being supported in Bangladesh, and large-scale industries were not given any support. She said that command over foreign languages mattered in export businesses. She added that export could change the destiny of the country.
She also said TDAP had registered 99,000 Pakistani products with their codes. She added that exporters must come up with their plans, and their companies should be registered on the website.
Afshan said that textile products could be completed in American and European Union markets, while basmati can be exported to Arab markets, adding that finding buyers was not a problem. She said that foreign buyers were available on TDAP’s website.
She also said that Hyderabad’s textile, agro and transport sectors have scope. She added that businesswomen should enrol themselves on TDAP’s Hunar website, as around 3,000 women were engaged on the website for business activities.
She pointed out that TDAP was guiding exporters through webinars, and exporters should also register themselves for Amazon.
Assistant director of the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Business Support Unit, Sibghatullah Noorani, told the audience that the SBP was also supporting traders in export refinancing.