ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday announced that the government had agreed to allow export of N95 and surgical masks.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, orders worth $100 million for export of personal protective equipment (PPE) made in Pakistan have been received from around the world, particularly Europe.

Pakistan is expected to receive orders for such equipment worth $500m by the end of this year.

“When the first Covid-19 case was detected in Pakistan on Feb 26, we were importing all PPE items. Today, Alhamdulillah, Pakistan is becoming a major exporter of materials for protection against the coronavirus,” Mr Chaudhry said in a message on Twitter.

The N95 and surgical masks were the last items on the list whose exports were banned, he added.

About three months ago, the local industry in Faisalabad had also started manufacturing N95 masks. “We are now producing masks, including N95, gloves, face shields, gowns and shoes cover for local hospitals, and even exporting them to other countries,” the minister said.

During a ministerial meeting last month, the government had sought an assessment report from the provinces and the National Disaster Management Authority before it could consider export of locally manufactured N95 masks.

Mr Chaudhry said many countries had shown interest in import of Covid-19 fighting equipment from Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2020