SIALKOT, Dec 19: A global shift from hand-stitched soccer balls to the machine-made under the WTO regime can jeopardize the future of the local industrialists and exporters, besides about 100,000 workers attached to the trade, if no counter measures were taken to cope with the emerging situation.

Local soccer ball manufacturers and traders expressed these fears while talking to journalists on Monday. They apprehended the changing soccer ball production trends, as being dictated under WTO’s quality standard parameter, could push the local industry to the verge of a huge financial crisis, causing a considerable decline in exports and resulting in a blow to the national economy.

They said the situation calls for effective steps on part of the government as well as the industry and exporters on a priority basis.

To counter the WTO challenges, they said, many local sports goods manufacturers had started the machine-based production of soccer balls.

Earlier, the local soccer ball manufacturers involved in traditional manual production had to face charges of employing children in making hand-stitched products, which had caused a decline in the country’s exports.

Pakistan Sports Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PSGMEA) Chairman Arif Mehmood Shaikh said under the new WTO parameters local exports might suffer a set back. However, he hoped, the trend of producing the machine-made soccer balls would also open new vistas for exporters as well as manufacturers to capture the international markets.

He said a shift from manual production to the machine-based had now become vital for the local manufacturers and exporters to survive and compete in the world market.

He said urged collective efforts to strengthen the local soccer ball industry under the WTO regime and enable it to meet the global challenges by modernizing it with the help of latest technologies.

Mr Shaikh said for this purpose, an amount of Rs150 million was required. He said the Sialkot-based sports goods manufacturers and exporters were fully aware of the changing quality standards and they were striving to adopt the same.

He said the PSGMEA and the government institutions concerned were ready to combat the impending crisis.

Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry senior vice-president Faisal Mehmood Khan said the SCCI and PSGMEA had decided to establish a joint ‘Sports Industry Development Trust’ at Sialkot to cope with the threat of changing manufacturing trends. He said the industry had been supporting more than 100,000 stitchers and other workers.

He said during the past few years, China, Vietnam and Thailand came up with machine-stitched soccer balls.

He said the new machine-stitched balls were first used in Euro Cup-2004, and the same would be used in the Soccer World Cup-2006.

He said all sports goods manufacturers were invited to join the proposed trust and so far 33 companies had pledged to collaborate in the project. Each joining trustee would contribute Rs100,000 to the project, he said.

Mr Khan said the project would help the industry survive in the global market and increase its exports.

He said the proposed trust would have a strong research and development section for evolving and introducing other non-traditional sports goods and accessories for export purposes.