KARACHI, July 14: Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the government to allow Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to import raw materials for supply to SMEs in the forthcoming trade policy. In a statement here Thursday, UNISAME President Zulfikar Thaver said Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) pointed out that due to limited financial resources, SMEs could not import raw materials in bulk and mostly depended on the commercial importers who supply them at higher prices.

“To reduce the cost, they need the continued supply of required raw materials at reasonable prices to become competitive in the market. Since majority of the SMEs are the suppliers to the exporters or directly export, they needed to be competitive,” he added.

Thaver was of the opinion that the Ministry of Commerce must promote import of plastic, paper, chemicals, metals and other raw materials in substantial quantities by the TCP and guarantee supplies to the SME industries who were the victims of monopolistic tendencies of the very big importers.—APP