September 10, 2006	Sunday	Sha'aban 16, 1427

KARACHI, Sept 9: The board of Export Development Fund (EDF) has approved Rs9.274 million for upgradation of Research and Economic Development Department of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).

The federation last year approached the EDF board and requested for Rs18.548 million to streamline its research and development activities. However, the board had put a condition that the FPCCI would have to appoint PhD economist to head its R&D department.

The FPCCI has recently informed the Ministry of Commerce that services of Dr A R Kamal, ex-chairman Institute of Development Economies, has been hired as a consultant for its R&D Department.

However, experts say the apex trade body does not have the required strength of staff and experts needed to run the institution on professional lines.

Presently, only three to four officers who are assigned all sorts of job including speech writing, budget proposals, legal and tax matters etc., give `munshi’ approach to the working and methods of the FPCCI.

Even then people at the helm of affairs are comparing the FPCCI with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), which has over 300 highly qualified experts on Research and Development.

If the FPCCI compares and evaluate standing with Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it will realise that the LCCI is being better professionally run where 32 exports are assigned to the task of research and development and has staff strength of over 100 people.

The FPCCI has a total strength of staff at 48 with only four officers.

Undoubtedly it is encouraging that the efforts are being made bring in good change in the apex trade body, but it will be suggested that the business as a whole will first have to bring in change in their mindset and adopt long-term policy to sort of economic and trade issues confronting the business community.

The FPCCI as an institution representing business community at federal level nowadays does not have any Public Relation Officer (PRO), it has no media policy as a result it has failed to work as a bridge between public and private sector which was a essential for such institution.

The FPCCI plans to streamline research department’s activities. The product and market diversification is the major thrust of national trade policy. The upgraded R&D department will carry out study reports to identify potential for the country on Top-20 traditional and non-traditional import and export items.

These reports will include global trend of production, consumption, imports, exports, standardisation requirements and price of these commodities so that position of Pakistan in these areas is defined.

The federation feels that the upgraded R&D department will undertake country reports of traditional and non-traditional markets.

It will also carry out analytical studies on economic and trade issues like export potential of the country in global markets, cost of doing business in Pakistan, regional comparison, enhancing industrial productivity, competitiveness level of products in world market, globalisation and WTO challenges and opportunities.