December 18, 2003	Thursday	Shawwal 23, 1424

PESHAWAR, Dec 17: Egypt’s decision to impose 29 per cent anti-dumping duty on import of match from Pakistan is likely to impact negatively on the NWFP match industry.

The Egypt government has recently levied 29 per cent anti- dumping duty on Pakistani match in an effort to discourage dumping by Pakistani manufacturers.

In a press statement here on Wednesday, Pakistan Match Manufacturers Association president Mohsin Aziz said the decision would lend negative impact on the country’s match exports.

He rejected the Egypt government’s stand that match exported from Pakistan was being dumped in huge quantity in Egypt for being cheap in price as compared to the locally-produced product. He said it was not true that match imported from Pakistan was being sold at a low price causing damage to the Egyptian industry.

“Pakistani exporters are not dumping match in the Egypt market,” Mr Aziz said, adding necessary documentary evidence had been submitted to the Egyptian authorities to prove this point.

He said Pakistani match had a greater competitive value in comparison with the Egyptian product because the match industry in Pakistan was using the locally available raw material, whereas the manufacturers in Egypt were totally reliant on the imported raw material that escalated cost of production, leaving their industry at a disadvantageous position.

“Pakistan not only exports match to Egypt but several other countries also import match from here, but except for Egypt no other country has imposed trade related restrictions on the Pakistani products,” said Mr Aziz, who was also a former provincial minister for industries.

He appealed to Commerce Minister Hamayun Akhter Khan to take up the issue with the Egypt government in an effort to protect the interest of the NWFP-based match manufacturing units involving total investment of $15 million.

Mr Aziz, who was also a former president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the SCCI should also play a pro-active role in helping the NWFP’s lone export-oriented industry from getting hit by restrictions imposed by the Egypt government.