September 4, 2003	Thursday	Rajab 6, 1424

KARACHI, Sept 3: Date exporters are seeking relief from the government in the form of freight subsidy and rebates on export and are also demanding permission for duty free imports to meet the expected wide gap between demand and supply in the domestic market.

The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has invited the representative body, Date Exporters & Producers Association (DEPA) on Thursday to discuss ways and means to overcome the situation arising out of damage to crop due to torrential rains last month causing heavy damage to dates on the palm trees.

Javed Tarmohammad, chairman, DEPA, said he had appealed to the government to grant freight subsidy and also rebates on export of dates and allow import of dates duty free.

Zulfikar Thaver convener Union of Small and Medium Enterprises has urged the EPB chairman to take up the matter with ministry of commerce and finance and grant immediate relief to SME date processors and exporters who have lost everything and are badly affected due to the unexpected heavy rains.

He said almost 60 per cent of the crop had been damaged due to last month’s heavy rains and presently date stocks in the country are negligible.