KARACHI, March 18: President Gen Pervez Musharraf is to meet small and medium size businessmen to have first hand information about their problems, official sources said.

Although no date has been fixed for the meeting, sources said that trade bodies all over the country had been approached by the Board of Investment (BoI), asking them to point out ten basic irritants confronting small and medium size enterprises.

The BoI in its communication to trade bodies stated that President Pervez Musharraf is to chair an interaction meeting between the business community and the concerned government agencies for the resolution of irritants and problems, which they (entrepreneurs) face in day to day working.

It further stated that intention of the meeting is to understand the genuine problems, pinpoint the agencies — federal, provincial, local, utilities, taxation — which cause problems and to find effective solutions thereto.

Beside seeking ten basic irritants from each small and medium enterprises (SME), the BoI has asked each trade body to nominate three representatives who would participate in the proposed meeting and articulate on the problems and issues to be discussed.

Meanwhile, Union of Small and Medium Enterprises convener Zulfikar Thaver has submitted the union’s proposal, seeking consistency in the government’s investment policy to ensure rapid industrialization and growth of SMEs.

He said that inconsistency in the investment policy had been the main cause of slow industrialization in the country and had also been the main factor for making a large number of healthy industry into sick units.

Thaver suggested that the government should ensure that those SMEs should get funds that are already under production as this will ensure proper use of capital and minimize the risk of becoming sick units.

He said such units should get funds on preference basis for their expansion and balancing, modernization and replacement (BMR) purposes. The convener also pointed out that law and order situation should be improved for attracting fresh investment.