LAHORE: The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Chief Executive S.M. Muneer on Tuesday lamented that the country’s carpet exports have dropped by 50 per cent during the last five years.
In an exhibition, organised by Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA), he said: “The handmade carpet exports have fallen to around $120 million from $300m, due to absence of incentives, political instability and energy shortage.”
“While, India’s carpet exports increased around 9pc in just one month of the current fiscal year (2014-15), on account of incentives and subsidies by the government, turning the Indian products competitive in markets of the US, China and Latin America.”
He further said that shortage of skilled manpower and practicing old methods were the other main barriers in achieving targets and enhancing trade volume at international level. On the occasion, exhibition’s chief organiser Maj (retired) Akhtar Nazir Cooki advised TDAP to focus on enhancing exports to China, the world’s largest export market.
Published in Dawn, October 15th , 2014
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