January 11, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 26, 1422

KARACHI, Jan 10: Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PLGMEA) chairman Fawad Ijaz Khan on Thursday urged the CBR to immediately revalidate SRO 410(I)/01 that allows import of standard accessories.

In a statement, he said the country had little manufacturing facilities of standard accessories and raw materials of certain exportable items are also not locally available.

In order to meet the situation, he said, the government introduced the Scheme of Temporary Importation under SRO 818 (I)/89. This SRO was substituted by SRO 410(I)/02 and the validity period of it was Dec 31, 2001.

However, if “we look at the schedule of SRO 818(I)/89, it is evident that sports, surgical and leather garments industry along with shoe industry are specifically mentioned therein,” he added.

The intention of the government, he said, appeared that after the expiry of SRO 410(I)/01, exporters would avail the facility of DTRE i.e. Duty and Tax Remission for Export Scheme or Manufacturing Bond under SRO 1140(I)/97.

But unfortunately, Mr Fawad said, documentation and procedures of these schemes were so cumbersome that this could not be availed by many exporters.

He said that exports from Pakistan were based on imported raw materials and accessories and by rescinding of SRO 410(I)/01, exporters were badly handicapped because of pilling up of import consignments of accessories at sea and dry ports.

The circumstances arising after Sept 11, 2001, he said, were such that exporters were already under tremendous pressure due to cancellation of orders and non-provision of repeat orders.

The PLGMEA chief said the government should give special consideration to exporters and solve their problems to make them compatible in the world markets. But unfortunately cancellation of temporary importation schemes are increasing exporters problem.