KARACHI: Representative associations of exporters have urged the government to allow them to set up a body at the federal level so that their issues could be heard by relevant authorities at one platform.

Talking to Dawn, the business leaders said issues faced by exporters were different from those faced by importers and traders.

They argued that in many countries there were many trade bodies and cited India’s example where two separate associations represent trade and industry.

The chairman of Council of Pakistan Textile Mills Association, Zubair Motiwala, said the objective of having a separate association of exporters was to put forward their demands strongly before the policymakers.

So far exporters have been using other platforms but it was normally witnessed that other trade groups dominated these bodies and exporters are left with poor representation, he noted.

“The main issue for exporters is to stay competitive in the world market by having a level playing field. This could only be achieved on getting all the inputs at a cost close to the regional countries. This includes cost of raw materials and utilities tariffs,” said patron-in-chief Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association Fawad Ejaz Khan.

Contrary to this, importers are keen to get lower import duty and also indulge in under-invoicing which results in dumping of cheap imported goods and causes injury to the domestic industry. In Pakistan, the Afghan Transit Trade is being widely misused, he added.

Published in Dawn January 11th, 2017