02 January 2004	Friday	09 Ziqa'ad 1424

LAHORE, Jan 1: The Export Promotion Bureau will facilitate the leading exporters from different sectors in setting up retail sale outlets in the shopping malls of London, New York and Dubai under its recently introduced 'Promoting Products Made in Pakistan' scheme.

"We have developed our scheme while benefiting from experience of marketing Pakistani mangoes at the UK stores like Selfridges and Harrods two years ago," EPB chairman Tariq Ikram said while giving a presentation to the members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on five new export facilitation schemes, here on Thursday.

The EPB would hire space for 10 top exporters in popular stores around the world for display and sale of Pakistani branded products, he added. He said a Marketing and Brand Development for Export Promotion scheme had been planned to assist willing and able exporters to undertake better marketing preferably for branded products and services.

The scheme covered product design, packaging, pricing, distribution, shelf display, advertizing and promotions, brand name, and brand equity development and research.

It would also cover the overall business image enhancement, including brochures, participation in exhibitions and fairs, company presentation and website development, etc.

He said a Brand Name Acquisition/Franchising scheme had been launched to help the exporters acquire foreign brand names under franchize agreements or export to foreign buyers the products under their own brand names.

The government, he said, had also decided to continue the Freight Subsidy Scheme launched for exporters of non-traditional products last year. He said a grant of $5 million subsidy had helped increase the exports of such products by $323 million last year.

He said the new trade policy focused on identification of new products and markets for boosting exports. South America, Australia, Africa and Central Asian States had been identified as new markets last year.

He called upon the exporters to understand the WTO rules and regulations and adopt international trade practices. A special cell constituted by the EPB had organized 14 seminars to develop understanding of the WTO rules in the government and the private sector.

The EPB, he said, had launched five schemes for improving productivity and exports in line with the new trade policy. Enterprise and capacity-building scheme had been launched for technology upgrade, export marketing and joint ventures.

LCCI President Mian Anjum Nisar lauded the innovative approach adopted by the EBP for boosting exports. He said market-specific and product-specific approach should be adopted for this purpose.

All the exporters, he said, should be allowed to participate in the international trade fairs and provided subsidy. Sales Tax and Duty Drawback claims should be settled within 15 days and industries be helped in research and development from the Export Development Fund.

Mr Nisar proposed adoption of suitable measures for minimizing the post-harvest wastage of agricultural products, and stressed the need for establishing facilities for storage of agricultural products after harvesting and installation of scanning machines at airports.

He also drew attention of the EPB towards lack of cargo handling facilities at the Lahore Airport. He called for measures to check dumping of Chinese products in Pakistan.