ISLAMABAD, July 18: The Senate Standing Committee on Commerce (SSCC) has urged the commerce ministry to give export targets to commercial counsellors posted abroad for increasing Pakistan's share in the international trade.

This was observed in a SSCC meeting, headed by its chairman Senator Mohammad Ali Durrani. The committee further said the efficiency of the trade officials should be judged in line with the achievements of these targets.

The committee also underlined the need to revamp the Export Promotion Bureau with a view to boosting exports. Federal Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan informed the committee that envoys' conferences would be organized at different stations, one each in South Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to motivate ambassadors and officials of the missions to ensure adequate increase in exports.

He said the trade policy would be announced on July 22. He said the government was looking into schemes, which would help rehabilitate the industrial units in the country.

A number of measures will be announced to increase export of furniture, gems, jewellery, surgical instruments and footwear industry, he added. It was also pointed out that poplar tree, which provided basic ingredient for match industry in the NWFP, was being exported illegally, affecting the local industry.

The committee members observed that there existed vast scope for increasing the exports of horticulture and leather footwear industry, and steps should be taken to achieve the desired objectives.