ISLAMABAD, April 27: Federal Minister for Industries and Production Liaquat Jatoi has said over 150,000 sick units of handlooms will be revived to provide job opportunities to more than 200,000 people in the country.

The minister was speaking at inaugural ceremony of the “First National Weavers Forum” here on Saturday. Handloom weavers from all over the country are attending the four-day Mela, arranged by the National Productivity Organization of Ministry of Industries and Production, Thai Development Society, Sungi Development Foundation and Society for Human Empowerment and Rural Development (SHER).

Assuring the weavers of full support, the minister said the government would make efforts to provide loans on easy terms to handloom owners to give this industry a boost.

He said the government was chalking out a plan to reduce tax burden on small industrials. He said no institution would harass the industrialists and traders.

Mr Jatoi reiterated the government’s policy to strengthen micro, small and medium enterprises for economic development of the country.

He said the total international handlooms market comprised $20 billion, while Pakistan’s share was a mere four per cent. Therefore, the handloom weavers should be brought at a unified platform so that their problems and needs could be identified and necessary incentives and facilitation could be provided to them, he added.

Akram Bhatti of Thai Development Society, who is also the national coordinator of the event, gave an overview of the handloom weaving industry in Pakistan.

He said there were around 300,000 handlooms in the country, providing employment to approximately 150,000 people.