LAHORE, Oct 26: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Shahid Hasan Sheikh says lack of certification will continue to be a key issue faced by Pakistani products reducing their scope for exports.

He made this observation during a visit to Technology Up-gradation and Skill Development Company (Tusdec) headquarters along with other officer-bearers of the LCCI, including senior vice-president Yaqoob Tahir Izhar and vice-president Mubasher Sheikh.

The LCCI president appreciated Tusdec’s efforts towards upgrading technology in Pakistan and showed keen interest in developing partnership with the company.

For this purpose, he suggested the formulation of a committee for developing LCCI-Tusdec partnership and identifying at least one project to initiate the collaboration.

Tusdec chief executive officer (CEO) in Pakistan said lack of certification of products in Pakistan reduced their marketing ability in the whole world. He elucidated the stringent certification policies in the West where a product could not enter the market until it was duly certified. As a result, Pakistani products lost their worth for export, he added.

He said the Tusdec’s Federal Institute of Materials Homologation (FIMH) project aimed at fulfilling this vacuum, helping in certifying Pakistan’s products, and hence building the quantity of products exported.

He said that industry should contribute towards improving electronics industry in Pakistan and help formulate a stakeholders group, which could articulate the industry’s needs. He restated the need to persuade giant international mobile manufacturing companies to collaborate with the local industry.

The Tusdec CEO reiterated the company’s offer to establish Computer Aided Design (CAD)/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) centres at various places in the provincial metropolis provided the industry endowed the company with venues such as factory compounds, where it could install technical infrastructure and impart technical expertise through employing suitable manpower.